The Federal Government has earmarked over N13.12bn for the procurement of arms, ammunition and related equipment for Nigeria’s security agencies in the 2026 appropriation bills.
Budget documents show that a total of N13,124,747,575 has been allocated across key security institutions for weapons acquisition and protective equipment.
Under the proposal, the Ministry of Defence will receive N688.8m for the purchase of arms and ammunition for the Armed Forces, while the Defence Headquarters is allocated N1.46bn for similar procurements.
The Nigerian Air Force accounts for the largest share of the allocation, with N6.13bn set aside for various aircraft platforms, arms and ammunition.
In addition, the Air Force is expected to spend N1.79bn on the procurement of 2,000 AR-M5T assault rifles.
The Nigerian Immigration Service has been allocated N702.7m for arms, ammunition, webbing and ballistic protection equipment, while the Nigeria Police Force will receive N1.03bn for arms, ammunition and protective gear.
The Department of State Services is expected to spend N1bn on arms and ammunition under the 2026 budget.
Other beneficiaries include the National Park Headquarters, which is to procure 100 firearms and ammunition with N68.8m, and the Nigerian Defence Academy, which will deploy N253.5m for the acquisition of automatic rifles and magazines for cadet training.
The allocations follow a sharp decline in Nigeria’s spending on arms and ammunition in 2025.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that arms and ammunition imports dropped to about N49bn in 2025, compared with N520bn recorded in 2024.
According to the NBS foreign trade reports, arms imports stood at N22.08bn in the first quarter of 2025, declined to N4.87bn in the second quarter, before rising to N23.49bn in the third quarter.
The figures were compiled from multiple sources, including the Nigeria Customs Service, the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, oil and gas firms, private sector operators, as well as aviation and port authorities.
Analysts note that unless further procurements are approved, Nigeria’s arms acquisition spending could decline further in 2026 despite mounting security challenges across the country.
