Crime
Bandits launch over 50 attacks in one week As FG Spends N57.78bn on Security
The Federal Government spent N57.78bn on security-related projects and operations in the first four months of 2026, despite worsening insecurity across the country, with no fewer than 98 criminal incidents including 51 attacks and abductions recorded nationwide in just one week.
Data obtained from the Open Treasury Portal showed that the spending, which covered defence equipment procurement, security infrastructure, military barracks, police facilities and other security-related projects, represented a 127.97 per cent increase from the N25.35bn spent during the corresponding period of 2025.
The expenditure comes amid persistent attacks by terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and armed criminals across several states, raising concerns among security experts over the effectiveness of government efforts to tackle the crisis.
Analysis of the Treasury Portal data showed that N57.78bn had been spent as of April 2026 from a total security allocation of N4.66tn, indicating that only 1.24 per cent of the approved budget had been utilised within the first four months of the year.
The largest share of the expenditure, N21.39bn, was spent on defence equipment procurement, accounting for about 37 per cent of total security spending during the period.
Another N14.16bn was spent on security equipment, while N5.84bn went to the construction and provision of military barracks. The government also spent N5.17bn on police stations and barracks, N3.26bn on rehabilitation of defence equipment, N2.39bn on defence facilities and N2.16bn on repairs of military barracks.
For routine operations, N3bn was spent on security services, while N320.94m was disbursed as security votes.
However, no expenditure was recorded under the military operations budget line tagged “Operation Lafiya Dole and Other Operations of the Armed Forces,” despite a N500m provision in the 2026 budget.
Similarly, no funds had been released for the kitting of Armed Forces personnel, although N2.53bn was earmarked for the programme.
A year-on-year comparison showed that spending on defence equipment rose from N9.48bn in the first four months of 2025 to N21.39bn in 2026, while military barracks construction increased from zero to N5.84bn.
Despite the increase in spending, budget implementation remained low across most security projects, with many critical programmes recording execution rates below three per cent.
The spending figures emerged as a police security report obtained by The PUNCH revealed that at least 98 criminal incidents were recorded across Nigeria within the last seven days.
The report showed that the incidents comprised 37 homicide cases, 27 banditry attacks, 24 kidnappings, eight armed robbery incidents and two terrorism-related attacks.
The incidents were reported across Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Kebbi and several other states, involving mass abductions, attacks on rural communities and kidnappings along major highways.
Among the most disturbing incidents was the abduction of 39 residents in Zamfara State after they reportedly travelled into the Fadama Forest to negotiate peace with a notorious bandit leader, Jimo Smally.
In Katsina State, bandits blocked the Katsina-Kankara highway and intercepted a commercial vehicle carrying 11 passengers. Police later rescued nine victims, while the driver and another passenger remained missing.
Reacting to the development, security analyst, Lekan Jackson-Ojo, described the situation as the worst insecurity crisis in Nigeria’s history.
“This is the highest level of insecurity in the military and political history of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.
“It is an indirect pronouncement that Nigeria is an unsafe territory now. We are having a battered economy, and there is no economy anywhere in the world that thrives under insecurity.”
Jackson-Ojo said the country had suffered unprecedented security losses in recent months.
“During the civil war, I did not remember if a general died. In the war between Ukraine and Russia, a general has not lost his life. In the war between Iran, America and Israel, a general has not lost his life. But within the past three months, we have lost almost four generals — and there is no reprisal attack,” he stated.
The analyst also criticised the reintegration of repentant terrorists into society.
“I’ve never heard it anywhere in the world that terrorists who have terrorised, damaged and killed will be integrated back into society. To me, I think the government is totally helpless — total incapability, lack of political will. Something, or many things are wrong now,” he added.
He further lamented what he described as the political elite’s preoccupation with electoral activities rather than security challenges.
“What preoccupies our political class is campaign, campaign, campaign and campaign. This is a sad situation,” he stressed.
Another security analyst, Chidi Omeje, argued that the military remained overstretched despite increased government spending.
“The military, on their own, are completely overstretched. You can count almost over 30 terrorist operations in this country where military guys are deployed,” he said.
“One MRAP alone is almost N100 billion. If you put an aircraft in the sky to do an operation, do you know how much it costs for just one hour? By the time you put that N56 billion in dollars, it amounts to nothing.”
According to him, military operations alone would not solve Nigeria’s security challenges.
“Unless we are able to deal with the root causes, we will keep going in circles. Most of the issues are born out of bad governance, wrong prioritisation, corruption and pervasive poverty, which has made people see crime and criminality as an option for survival,” Omeje said.
He also blamed porous borders and instability across the Sahel region for worsening insecurity in Nigeria.
“From Mali to Burkina Faso to Nigeria — those places are the epicentre of terrorism. Nigeria is an attractive destination because we have porous borders and poor border management,” he stated.
Omeje urged the government to take decisive action.
“The government seems almost clueless about how to go about this matter. They are paid to find solutions — so they must find solutions,” he said.
The latest figures suggest that while the Federal Government has significantly increased security spending compared to last year, insecurity remains widespread, with violent attacks continuing across the country and a large portion of budgeted security funds yet to be utilised.
PUNCH
A police inspector has been killed and another officer seriously injured after gunmen allegedly ambushed a joint security team in Jigawa State.
The incident occurred on Saturday, August 22, 2026, after security personnel responded to reports of farmland destruction in Gwaram Local Government Area.
According to a security report obtained by Zagazola Makama, the attack took place at about 3pm in a forested area.
The joint team comprised personnel from Gwaram and Fagam police divisions, the 35 Police Mobile Force and local security outfits. Members of the Vigilance and Community Response Unit (VCRU) and Operation Salama also participated in the operation.
The report said the team had been patrolling the area following recurring complaints involving suspected herders and farmland destruction.
The personnel reportedly came under attack after entering the area, with the assailants said to have used arrows.
Inspector Bukar Wakili, attached to Gwaram Division, was reportedly struck in the face and sustained serious injuries.
Another officer, Inspector Mohammed Shafiu of the VCRU in Dutse, was also injured during the incident.
Both officers were taken to a hospital, where Shafiu was confirmed dead, according to the report.
Bukar was later referred to the Malam Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital for further medical treatment.
The identities and affiliation of the attackers have not been independently confirmed, and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Additional tactical teams were subsequently deployed to reinforce the security personnel and support efforts to identify those responsible.
Police have opened an investigation into the incident and maintained a security presence in the affected area.
The attack comes amid recurring disputes involving farmers and herders in parts of northern Nigeria, where disagreements over farmland and grazing routes can sometimes escalate into violence.
A young man suspected of attempting to steal cables from a transformer was found dead after reportedly being electrocuted along Trademore Road in Lugbe, Abuja, in the early hours of Friday.
The deceased was reportedly found crouched and lifeless near the transformer, with his body said to have become stiff, suggesting he may have been electrocuted when power was restored.
Residents said there had been no electricity supply in the area on Thursday night before the incident occurred.
The discovery attracted a crowd of residents, who expressed concern over the increasing activities of cable vandals in different parts of the Federal Capital Territory.
Rasheed Ogunyemi, a resident of Iddo Seriki along the Airport Road, said residents in his area often contribute money to repair their transformer, only for vandals to return and cut the cables.
The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, confirmed the incident, stating that the deceased’s body had been evacuated and deposited at a mortuary in Gwagwalada for autopsy.
More than 60 worshippers are feared to have been kidnapped from the Central Mosque in Dekara town, Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, during Jumu’at prayers on Friday.
The incident occurred when suspected terrorists, said to be operating in large numbers, stormed the mosque while the prayers were ongoing.
According to sources, the attackers fired several shots before rounding up some of the worshippers and taking them into the surrounding forest.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Borgu Local Government Area witnessed several security incidents on Friday, including attacks on three communities.
“So many things happened in Borgu LGA on Friday. Terrorists attacked three communities, including Dekara. In Dekara, they went to the Central Mosque while Jumu’at prayer was ongoing and kidnapped more than 60 people. But they did not injure anybody,” the resident said.
The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Oyewole Mayowa Solomon, has died after reportedly collapsing during a party reconciliation meeting in Iyara, the council headquarters.
Solomon reportedly slumped suddenly while participating in the meeting convened on Friday by a former Ijumu council chairman, Funsho Olumoko, as part of efforts to resolve internal disagreements and promote unity among APC stakeholders in the area.
An eyewitness said the incident caused confusion among participants, who immediately attempted to revive the party chairman before rushing him to a hospital in Kabba.
He reportedly died shortly after arriving at the hospital.
The development shocked party leaders and other stakeholders who had gathered for the reconciliation meeting, which was aimed at strengthening the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The meeting was expected to bring together party leaders, ward and local government executives, women and youth leaders, as well as government appointees from the 15 wards in Ijumu.
The incident occurred amid renewed efforts by APC stakeholders in the council to resolve longstanding disagreements and restore unity within the local chapter.
Earlier in the month, party leaders in Ijumu had endorsed President Bola Tinubu and Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, for second terms.
However, that gathering was reportedly disrupted by disagreements over the leadership of the local government, with Solomon and some other officials said to have walked out of the meeting.
Olumoko, who organised Friday’s reconciliation meeting, had previously been mandated by the Ijumu Consultative Forum to facilitate dialogue among political stakeholders in the council.
Solomon’s sudden death is expected to create fresh uncertainty around the ongoing reconciliation efforts within the Ijumu APC, coming barely two weeks after stakeholders renewed calls for unity ahead of the 2027 elections.
The cause of his death had not been officially disclosed as of the time of filing this report, while efforts to obtain an official reaction from the APC were ongoing.
Tension and grief have gripped the political community in Enugu State following the suspected murder of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Chairman in Udenu Local Government Area, Chisimdiri Emmanuel Ngwu.
Ngwu, described as one of the longest-serving members of the ADC in the state, was reportedly found dead in the early hours of Wednesday, August 19, 2026, under circumstances that have raised concerns among his family, friends and political associates.
A family source told our correspondent that Ngwu woke up early on Wednesday, left the house and never returned alive.
The source said the family became worried after they noticed he was missing, only to later discover his lifeless body outside the compound.
“We woke up and didn’t see him, only to discover his lifeless body in front of our compound,” the source said.
The source further alleged that scratches were found around Ngwu’s neck and that his neck appeared to have been twisted backwards, raising suspicions about the circumstances of his death.
The incident has sparked concern within the ADC in Udenu and the wider political community in Enugu State, with calls for security agencies to thoroughly investigate the matter and bring anyone found responsible to justice.
Meanwhile, two persons have reportedly been arrested in connection with the incident.
Their identities and the specific circumstances surrounding their arrest were not immediately known as of press time.
Ngwu’s death has since sent shock waves through the ADC, with party members and associates mourning his death and demanding a transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
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