Despite a record ₦3.154 trillion allocation to the Ministry of Defence in the 2026 budget, insecurity continues to worsen across Nigeria, prompting policy think tank Nextier to raise concerns over the country’s military procurement system.

The organisation in a policy report authored by Dr. Chibuike Njoku warned that weak oversight, excessive secrecy and entrenched corruption are preventing increased defence spending from translating into improved security outcomes.

Nextier, in the report also co-authored by Dr. Ndu Nwokolo pointed out that Nigeria remains confronted by one of its most complex security crises, with insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, separatist violence and oil-related criminality persisting despite unprecedented government expenditure on defence.

According to the report, Nigeria recorded 1,274 violent incidents in 2025, resulting in 4,654 deaths and 3,141 kidnap victims, based on data from the Nextier Nigeria Violent Conflicts Database. The figures, it said, highlight the widening gap between rising defence expenditure and actual security outcomes.

The report noted that the Federal Government allocated about ₦3.154 trillion to the Ministry of Defence in the 2026 Appropriation Bill, making defence one of the highest-funded sectors in the national budget.

It stated that the increasing deployment of the military in counterterrorism, anti-banditry, anti-kidnapping and other internal security operations has made defence procurement more critical than ever, as the acquisition of military hardware, intelligence systems, surveillance technology and logistics directly affects operational effectiveness and national security.

However, the authors argued that increased funding has not translated into improved security because longstanding corruption, weak accountability mechanisms and institutional inefficiencies continue to undermine defence procurement.

The report identified contract inflation, diversion of procurement funds, opaque contracting processes and the procurement of substandard or undelivered military equipment among the major challenges confronting the sector.

It cited the notorious $2.1 billion arms procurement scandal, popularly known as Dasukigate, as a prominent example of how funds intended to strengthen military operations against insurgency were allegedly diverted through politically connected networks.

According to the report, procurement failures have weakened military preparedness, reduced operational efficiency, undermined troop morale and exposed civilians to greater danger from violent attacks.

Nextier argued that defence procurement should be treated as a strategic governance and national security priority rather than merely an administrative process, insisting that stronger institutional oversight is essential to ensure value for money and improved security outcomes.

The report identified excessive secrecy as one of the biggest vulnerabilities in military acquisitions. While acknowledging that confidentiality is necessary for sensitive defence operations, it warned that broad secrecy often shields procurement decisions from effective scrutiny by the National Assembly, the Office of the Auditor-General, civil society organisations and the media.

It also noted that the technical complexity of defence contracts, which often involve sophisticated military technologies and specialised equipment, makes independent evaluation difficult without adequate expertise in engineering, logistics, finance and military strategy.

Beyond corruption, the report blamed poor procurement planning, weak contract management, inadequate technical capacity and ineffective monitoring systems for many of the shortcomings affecting defence acquisitions.

It further observed that oversight institutions, including the Bureau of Public Procurement, the Office of the Auditor-General and anti-corruption agencies, are frequently constrained by political interference, limited access to classified information and weak enforcement powers.

To strengthen accountability, Nextier recommended the establishment of a Defence Procurement Transparency Framework that would clearly define the limits of secrecy while requiring periodic disclosure of non-sensitive procurement information, including contract awards, expenditure summaries and implementation updates.

The think tank also called for regular independent defence audits, stronger legislative oversight, sector-specific procurement guidelines and enhanced anti-corruption monitoring by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

Other recommendations include strengthening asset recovery mechanisms, imposing stiffer sanctions on officials found guilty of procurement abuses and improving contract management systems within the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces.

The report concluded that Nigeria’s security challenges cannot be resolved simply by increasing defence budgets, stressing that sustainable improvements in national security will depend on ensuring that every naira allocated to military procurement is efficiently managed and translated into operational capability.

According to the authors, greater transparency, stronger accountability mechanisms and effective institutional oversight remain critical to ensuring that defence spending delivers measurable improvements in national security, military effectiveness and the protection of lives and property.