States across Nigeria earmarked a combined N525.23bn for security votes and related operations between 2023 and 2025, according to an analysis of figures extracted from their approved budget documents.

The budgets analysed are contained in Open States, a BudgIT-backed platform that serves as a central repository for government budget data across the country.

Despite the huge sums allocated to security, concerns have intensified over the effectiveness of these measures, as citizens continue to face growing threats from violence and criminal activity nationwide.

Although the constitutional responsibility for safeguarding lives and property rests with the Federal Government, escalating cases of kidnapping, armed robbery, and other violent crimes have pushed many state governors to establish internal security frameworks aimed at curbing insecurity.

However, these state-led interventions have largely failed to deliver the desired outcomes, as criminal elements continue to operate with little restraint, leaving many communities under constant threat.

The analysis covers the budgets of 32 states, as Gombe, Kebbi, Niger, and Yobe did not clearly disclose their security vote allocations in their approved budgets.

The PUNCH further observed that Ekiti State did not clearly disclose its security vote allocation in its 2025 approved budget, indicating that the total amount spent on security votes over the three-year period is likely higher than the reported N525.23bn.

A breakdown of the figures shows that states approved N150.47bn for security votes in 2023, which increased to N164.07bn in 2024, before surging sharply to N210.68bn in 2025.

Year-on-year analysis reveals that states added approximately N13.60bn to their security vote allocations in 2024, representing a growth of about 9.04 per cent over 2023 levels.

Spending then rose by a much steeper N46.61bn in 2025, marking an increase of roughly 28.4 per cent compared to 2024.

When compared with 2023 figures, the amount budgeted in 2025 was higher by more than N60bn, amounting to an increase of about 40.01 per cent and underscoring the rapid expansion of security vote allocations within just three fiscal years.

The aggregate spending figures were largely influenced by a few states with notably high security vote provisions.

Borno State recorded the highest cumulative allocation over the three-year period at N57.40bn, reflecting the sustained costs associated with counterinsurgency and security operations in the North East.

Anambra State followed with a total of N42.57bn, driven by a dramatic rise from N184.90m in 2023 to N17.28bn in 2024 and N25.10bn in 2025.

Delta State ranked next with a total allocation of N38.44bn, while Benue State recorded N36.87bn over the same period, with its security vote rising steadily from N9.27bn in 2023 to N12bn in 2024 and N15.60bn in 2025.

Other states with significant allocations included Ondo with N31.72bn, Zamfara with N31.40bn, Edo with N29.21bn, Adamawa with N27.00bn, and Bauchi with N25.41bn.

At the lower end of the spectrum, Rivers State disclosed only N210m over the three years, while Akwa Ibom recorded N624m and Ekiti just N3.1m, highlighting wide disparities in how states reported or prioritised security vote spending.

In 2023, Bauchi State recorded the highest single-year security vote allocation at N17.39bn, narrowly surpassing Delta State’s N17.15bn.

Bayelsa followed with N11.12bn, while Adamawa and Benue allocated N9.95bn and N9.27bn, respectively.

Borno State also ranked among the top spenders that year with an allocation of N8.92bn, reflecting its persistent security challenges.

The spending pattern shifted in 2024, when Zamfara emerged as the highest spender with N17.40bn.

Anambra followed closely with N17.28bn, while Borno approved N15.65bn.

Edo State allocated N12.87bn, Benue budgeted N12bn, and Delta remained among the top spenders with N10.65bn.

By 2025, security vote spending expanded sharply across several states, with Borno leading by a wide margin at N32.83bn.

Anambra followed with N25.10bn, while Oyo recorded an exceptional jump to N20.09bn, compared with just N26.5m in 2023 and N5.46m in 2024.

Benue approved N15.60bn in 2025, Ondo set aside N11.50bn, Edo allocated N11.35bn, and Delta maintained its spending level at approximately N10.65bn.

The analysis also revealed sharp fluctuations in security vote allocations in some states during the period under review.

Bauchi’s allocation dropped dramatically from N17.39bn in 2023 to just N12.8m in 2024 before rising again to N8bn in 2025.

Kano’s security vote declined from N2.10bn in 2023 to N11.93m in 2024, before rebounding to N5.62bn in 2025.

Ogun State increased its allocation from N114.70m in 2023 to N2.20bn in 2024 and N2.80bn in 2025.

Anambra, meanwhile, moved from a relatively modest allocation in 2023 to one of the highest security vote budgets in the country by 2025.

Although Gombe, Kebbi, Niger, and Yobe were excluded due to non-disclosure, a regional analysis shows that the North East accounted for the largest share of disclosed security vote spending over the three-year period.

Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, and Taraba together recorded a combined N113.78bn, excluding Gombe and Yobe, which did not publish clear figures.

The North East approved N39.12bn in 2023, N25.09bn in 2024, and N49.57bn in 2025, with the sharp increase in 2025 largely driven by Borno’s N32.83bn allocation.

The South East followed with a combined N102.59bn from Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo.

Allocations in the region rose from N21.07bn in 2023 to N39.55bn in 2024 and N41.97bn in 2025, largely due to the surge in Anambra’s disclosed spending.

States in the South South budgeted a combined N98.36bn over the period, comprising N35.13bn in 2023, N34.02bn in 2024, and N29.21bn in 2025.

This was driven mainly by Delta, Edo, and Bayelsa, while Rivers reported comparatively small amounts.

The North Central recorded a total of N76.57bn from Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, and Plateau, with allocations of N22.97bn in 2023, N25.27bn in 2024, and N28.33bn in 2025.

Niger State was excluded from this breakdown due to the absence of clear figures in its approved budgets.

In the North West, disclosed allocations from Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara amounted to N70.77bn, made up of N19.02bn in 2023, N26.13bn in 2024, and N25.62bn in 2025.

Kebbi State was excluded from the analysis due to non-disclosure.

The South West recorded the lowest disclosed three-year total at N63.16bn, though its spending profile changed significantly in 2025.

The region approved N13.16bn in 2023 and N14.00bn in 2024, before surging to N35.99bn in 2025, driven mainly by Oyo’s N20.09bn and Ondo’s N11.50bn, alongside steady allocations from Lagos, Ogun, Osun, and Ekiti.

The findings come amid renewed public anxiety over persistent killings, kidnappings, and destruction of property across various parts of the country.

In Nigeria, security votes are special monthly allocations of public funds reserved by federal and state governments for security-related purposes.

Officially, the funds are meant to support sensitive operations such as intelligence gathering, emergency responses, and crisis management that require swift action without bureaucratic delays.

However, the secrecy surrounding the disbursement and utilisation of security votes has continued to attract widespread criticism.

Analysts have argued that rather than improving public safety, security votes often function as political war chests or avenues for personal enrichment by state governors.

Speaking earlier to The PUNCH, the National Coordinator of the Coalition of Northern Groups, Jamilu Charanchi, questioned the relevance and impact of the controversial allocations.

He said that despite the enormous sums reportedly disbursed, residents of northern Nigeria continue to face worsening insecurity, decaying infrastructure, failing healthcare systems, unreliable electricity supply, and limited access to quality education.

“What is a security vote? What are they doing with the security vote? Don’t we still have killings in the North? Don’t we still have bad roads, dilapidated structures and hospitals? Governments cannot provide health care services to their citizens.

“They cannot provide education. They cannot provide road infrastructure. Electricity is questionable. What are they doing with the money? What are they doing with the security vote?” he asked.

Charanchi further argued that poverty remains the root cause of insecurity in the region, alleging that some governors benefit from the prevailing situation.

President Bola Tinubu, speaking at a security conference, said a well-governed state is better positioned to address internal security challenges and should not rely solely on federal agencies for safety.

He stated that the deteriorating condition of Nigeria’s local government system has contributed significantly to developmental setbacks and the country’s inability to effectively confront prevailing security threats.

“Sadly, the state of our local government system in Nigeria is a cause of concern, as its degradation and incapacitation have continued significantly and have contributed significantly to our developmental setback and our inability to effectively address the prevailing national security threat.

“We find ourselves trapped in a paradoxical situation where the very areas most affected by security classes are rendered powerless and unable to mount any meaningful resistance or defence.

“Local governments are the frontline defenders against insecurity, as they are closest to the people and possess intimate knowledge of their community’s needs and challenges. This is why some are advocating for community policing as a panacea to end security challenges,” he said.

In December 2025, organised labour urged state governments and local government authorities to assume greater responsibility in tackling Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, warning that continued inaction is eroding household incomes and restricting citizens’ freedom of movement.

The Chairperson of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Lagos Chapter, Comrade Funmi Sessi, said insecurity has moved beyond isolated incidents and now affects daily life and economic activities.

She said that while security is often framed as a federal responsibility, states and local governments must play a more active role because of their closeness to the communities.

“States and local governments cannot fold their arms. They are closest to the people, they understand the terrain, and they receive security-related allocations. Nigerians deserve to see concrete results,” Sessi said.

Also speaking, the Vice Chairman of the NLC Lagos Chapter, Comrade Olapisi Ido, said insecurity persists partly because subnational governments have failed to convert security funding into effective action.

“State governments receive special security allocations. The question Nigerians are asking is simple: what are they using the money for?” Ido said. “People are dying daily, and communities are living in fear.”

He added that organised labour expects states and local government authorities to invest more in intelligence gathering, community engagement, surveillance, and rapid-response mechanisms to address the crisis.