Ballooning budgets and the urgent need to restructure Nigeria’s security architecture, By Umar Yakubu

Over the past decade, Nigeria’s budgetary allocation for defence and security has seen a massive upward trend, driven by relentless efforts to combat insurgency, banditry, and kidnapping. From ₦1.1 trillion in 2017, the security budget has ballooned, peaking at over ₦6 trillion in 2025, with a proposed ₦5.41 trillion for 2026.