Nigeria allocated approximately N32.88 trillion to defence over the past 15 years, representing roughly 12.5% of the country’s N262.834 trillion in cumulative national budgets during that period, yet the country remains gripped by widespread insecurity across multiple regions.

At official budget exchange rates for the respective years, the figure is equivalent to $44.641 billion.

Despite the scale of investment, communities across the country continue to face insurgency, banditry, kidnappings, communal violence and oil-related attacks.

Death toll mounts

Security trackers estimate that more than 100,000 Nigerians have died in violent conflicts and insecurity-related incidents since 2012, with thousands more abducted and millions forced from their homes.

In the first 41 days of 2026 alone, at least 1,091 people reportedly died in violent attacks.

Currently, an estimated 3.726 million Nigerians live as internally displaced persons, scattered across roughly 3,900 camps nationwide.

The crisis deepened Monday when suicide bombers struck Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, killing scores of people in a method of attack that had largely subsided since 2014.

Legislature scrutinizes defence funds

Against this backdrop, the National Assembly has intensified its review of defence spending as lawmakers work toward passing the 2026 Appropriation Bill by March 31.

The Senate is currently processing the N58.47 trillion 2026 budget proposal, which earmarks about N5.41 trillion for defence and security, one of the largest sectoral allocations in the bill.

The Ministry of Defence alone is set to receive about N3.154 trillion under the proposal.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has indicated the upper chamber will pass the budget before March 31 after committee reports are submitted and harmonized.

Senators have warned that delays in defence funding could undermine active military operations.

The House of Representatives, meanwhile, will resume detailed deliberations on the defence component when lawmakers return from recess.

House committees on defence, army, navy and air force are expected to focus on troop welfare, operational logistics, intelligence and equipment procurement.

CDS calls for inter-agency collaboration

Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, while defending the 2026 budget proposal before the National Assembly in Abuja, said the military cannot solve Nigeria’s security challenges alone.

He called for urgent investment in the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, arguing that both agencies have broader community reach and larger personnel numbers than the armed forces.

“If these institutions are strengthened, they can effectively hold and secure territories where the Armed Forces have succeeded, ensuring that such areas remain safe,” Oluyede said.

He acknowledged that soldiers were stretched thin across multiple operational theatres. “The soldiers hardly have rest because we don’t have the numbers,” he said, adding that recruiting more personnel introduces further challenges around housing, logistics and welfare.

New operations, intelligence partnerships

Oluyede disclosed that special forces have been deployed to Benue and Plateau states to address persistent Middle Belt violence, with additional troops planned for Kwara and parts of Niger State.

A new Joint Task Force, designated Operation Savannah Shield, will coordinate security efforts across the affected areas.

He also confirmed that Nigeria is working with allied nations to improve intelligence gathering, while taking care to align those partnerships with presidential guidelines to protect national sovereignty.

Lawmakers demand measurable results

Rep. Babajimi Benson, chairman of the House Committee on Defence, said sustainable peace requires deeper institutional reform, not just military force.

“Nigerians expect results that translate into safer communities, restored livelihoods and renewed confidence in the authority of the state,” he said, warning that input-based budgeting without measurable outcomes is no longer acceptable.

As the Senate and House race to pass the 2026 budget by month’s end, the central question for Nigerians watching the process remains whether the latest round of defence allocations will finally deliver the security that decades of spending have so far failed to produce.