The Federal Government has ramped up its efforts to address the growing insecurity across Nigeria by spending an additional N14 billion on military hardware between September and October 2024. This brings the total expenditure on arms procurement to N77.6 billion in just the first ten months of the year, according to findings by Saturday PUNCH.

Earlier in the year, between January and July, the government allocated N63.6 billion to procure equipment and ammunition for the military and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA). Notable transactions during this period included a N990 million payment on April 16 for ammunition and another N941 million payment on April 22 for tactical armored vehicles and heavy anti-mine vehicles. Both payments were made to Equipment and Protective Applications International Limited.

In July, additional high-value payments were made. On July 2, the Ministry of Defence spent N3.2 billion on bullet-resistant guard booths equipped with surveillance capabilities and proximity detectors. Later that month, N33 billion was disbursed in five tranches for critical operational equipment, while N3 billion was allocated on July 27 to procure urgent military supplies under the 2023 supplementary budget. By the end of July, N22 billion had been released to ONSA for the purchase of critical military equipment as part of a special intervention fund.

The most recent spending occurred between September and October 2024. On September 13, the government allocated N4 billion for critical combat equipment, followed by two payments totaling N6.4 billion made by the Nigerian Air Force on October 9 for defence supplies. Later, on October 23, the Ministry of Defence released an additional N4 billion for military hardware, underscoring the government’s commitment to strengthening the armed forces.

These expenditures reflect a broader trend of rising defence spending in recent years. Between 2020 and 2023, the Federal Government allocated N231.27 billion for arms and ammunition, including N11.72 billion in 2020, N10.78 billion in 2021, and N9.64 billion in 2022. In 2023 alone, N47.02 billion was spent, alongside an additional N184.25 billion through supplementary budgets. Another N115 billion was expended on arms imports during this period.

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has defended the high cost of military hardware, explaining that much of the equipment is purchased in dollars due to Nigeria’s lack of domestic arms production. He highlighted that these figures reflect the global realities of procuring advanced weaponry.