Thirty-five Nigerian states have allocated a combined N214 billion in their 2025 budgets for local security outfits, arms procurement, and defence initiatives, yet insecurity continues to grip the nation.
Despite these massive allocations, at least 367 people have been killed in violent attacks during festive periods between 2019 and 2025. The figures, sourced from Open States, a BudgIT-backed platform tracking government budgets, raise concerns about the effectiveness of state-led security efforts.
While security remains a federal responsibility, rising cases of kidnapping, armed robbery, and communal clashes have forced state governments to implement their own security measures. However, these interventions have failed to deter criminal elements, who continue to operate with impunity.
In recent weeks, multiple attacks across the country have left dozens dead. In Ondo, Benue, and Nasarawa, a series of violent incidents claimed 30 lives, with affected communities calling for urgent intervention. In Ondo, nine surveyors were abducted, while armed assailants attacked villages, killing at least 20 people. In Benue, the killing of three Civil Protection Guards by suspected herders led to violent protests. Meanwhile, a communal clash in Nasarawa’s Farin Dutse community escalated into a deadly conflict, leaving seven dead, including a pregnant woman.
In Edo, 16 hunters were brutally murdered in Uromi, sparking national outrage and fear of retaliatory attacks. Authorities have arrested at least 14 suspects in connection with the killings.
Security data for the first quarter of 2025 paints an alarming picture—2,819 cases of abduction, 3,190 fatalities, and 1,123 injuries recorded across 428 local government areas.
A closer look at the budgets shows varied state allocations for security. Rivers State leads with N39.82 billion, while Kebbi has the highest allocation in the North at N21.81 billion. In the Southwest, Ondo earmarked N7.07 billion, with N7.06 billion dedicated to Amotekun’s operations, while Ogun State set aside N4.81 billion, including N1.79 billion for Amotekun and N459.62 million for Safe-Corps. Enugu allocated N11.41 billion—the highest in the Southeast—while Sokoto budgeted N10.57 billion.
President Bola Tinubu, speaking at a security conference, stressed the need for states to take greater responsibility for internal security, warning that over-reliance on federal agencies has worsened the nation’s security challenges.
Despite the billions earmarked for security, the continued surge in violent attacks raises urgent questions: Are these funds being effectively utilized? And will Nigeria ever see an end to its worsening insecurity crisis?
