Nigeria’s security budgets have increased substantially in the last 64 years, but citizens still can’t sleep with their two eyes closed.
Military budgets alone jumped by over 1,900 percent between 1960 and 2021, but terrorism and threats to Nigeria’s sovereignty escalated over the period.
Nigeria’s military expenditure stood at $23.4 million in 1960 but rose to $4.47 billion in 2021, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a conflict-focused research organisation.
In naira terms, security budgets have risen from N618.26 billion in 2010 to N3.24 trillion in 2024, indicating a 424 percent increase over the 14-year period, according to BusinessDay’s computations from data provided by the Budget Office of the Federation.
The budgets of the Ministry of Police Affairs, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defence, Police Service Commission, and National Security Adviser were collectively put together for the purpose of this computation.
Widespread insecurity
Widespread insecurity across Nigeria is worrisome. Dramatic rise in violent crimes, characterised by terrorism, banditry, herdsmen attacks and rampant kidnappings, continue to raise critical questions about the effectiveness of the country’s defence strategies, despite substantial incremental budgetary allocations and military acquisitions over the years.
There are even more concerns about how criminals brazenly use sophisticated means such as mobile phones and bank accounts to facilitate their operations without fear of being apprehended.
Between 2019 and 2023, Nigeria reportedly lost nearly 25,000 citizens to violence, with kidnappings becoming increasingly prevalent across regions previously considered safe, such as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Lagos.
Data from Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited (BSIL) indicate that about 5,801 Nigerians were killed by terrorists, with 4,348 abductions nationwide within the first seven months of 2024.
In August 2024 alone, BSIL noted a sharp rise in security incidents, with total of 952 recorded cases, resulting in 907 fatalities.
“We are in a fragile state and every Nigerian needs to be worried. The fragility of the Nigerian state is increasing. There are indices for measuring that fragility, and if we continue at this rate, we will become a failed state. That worries me,” Kabir Adamu, CEO BSIL, told BusinessDay in an exclusive interview.
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