Security Spending Surges 128% Amid Over 50 Attacks and Abductions in One Week

The Federal Government spent ₦57.78 billion on security operations and infrastructure during the first four months of 2026, marking a 127.97% increase from the ₦25.35 billion spent during the same period in 2025. Despite this sharp rise in expenditure, a newly obtained internal police security report reveals a worsening security situation across the country, with at least 98 major criminal incidents recorded within a single seven-day window.

The weekly police data highlights a wave of violence consisting of 51 specific attacks and abductions nationwide. The total figure includes:

37 homicide cases

27 banditry attacks

24 kidnappings

8 armed robberies

2 terrorism-related incidents

Among the most severe developments, 39 residents in Zamfara State were abducted after entering the Fadama Forest to negotiate a peace deal with a notorious local bandit leader. In neighboring Katsina State, armed bandits blocked the main Katsina-Kankara highway to intercept a commercial transport vehicle.

While police security operatives successfully rescued nine passengers, the driver and one traveler remain missing. The majority of the week’s mass abductions and rural community raids were concentrated across Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, and Kebbi states.

Data from the Open Treasury Portal details where the ₦57.78 billion was directed. Defense equipment procurement took the largest portion at ₦21.39 billion (roughly 37% of the total), followed by ₦14.16 billion for specialized security hardware. Infrastructure also received funding, with ₦5.84 billion allocated to the construction of military barracks and ₦5.17 billion directed to police facilities.

However, fiscal analysts noted that despite an overall 2026 security budget allocation of ₦4.66 trillion, the government has only utilized 1.24% of its approved funding within the first third of the year. Furthermore, critical accounts such as active military operational lines and personnel kitting programs showed zero fund drawdowns despite hundreds of millions allocated to them on paper.

Security analysts point out that while the financial increases look substantial on paper, they are quickly swallowed up by the immense operational costs of fighting multi-front domestic threats. Experts emphasize that hardware alone cannot solve the crisis without the political will to address structural roots like extreme poverty, porous borders, and region-wide instability flowing inward from the wider Sahel zone.