The Federal Government expended no fewer than N74.96bn on arms, ammunition, and military equipment between 2023 and 2025, according to data obtained from GovSpend, a civic technology platform that tracks public expenditure.
A breakdown of the figures shows that spending peaked in 2024 at N40.84bn, rising from N33.30bn recorded in 2023, before dropping sharply to N819.46m in 2025.
This represents an increase of N7.54bn, or approximately 22.6 per cent, between 2023 and 2024, with 2024 accounting for more than half of the total expenditure within the period under review.
Analysis of the 2023 spending indicates that the Ministry of Defence and the armed forces accounted for the bulk of the expenditure. The ministry recorded N9.17bn for ammunition procurement on November 7, 2023, and an additional N6.89bn on November 21, 2023, for similar purchases. Statutory deductions linked to these transactions exceeded N102m.
The Nigerian Army also carried out major transactions on June 2, 2023, including N4.41bn for ammunition, N2.88bn for arms, and N2.77bn for a surveillance attack aircraft. The Nigerian Navy recorded N1bn in August and N5bn in December for arms and ammunition procurement.
Other security agencies were also involved in procurement activities. Defence Headquarters spent N744.19m on military equipment and arms, while the Nigeria Correctional Service recorded N144.35m for arms and protective equipment. The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps spent N172.77m on operational equipment, and the National Park Headquarters recorded N13.91m on arms and ammunition.
Spending rose significantly in 2024, driven largely by bulk procurement by the Ministry of Defence. On July 26, 2024, the ministry recorded five separate payments totaling N33.22bn for critical operational equipment for the military. This single-day expenditure accounted for over 80 per cent of the total arms-related spending recorded for the year.
Additional expenditures by the ministry in 2024 included N990.89m on ammunition in April, N941.94m on armoured vehicles and ammunition, and N1.37bn as retention payments for similar contracts in December.
Other agencies also increased procurement during the year. The Nigeria Immigration Service recorded multiple payments for rifles, pistols, and ammunition to contractors, while the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency spent N1.94bn in December 2024 on arms, ammunition, and anti-riot equipment for its operations. Police formations also made payments for firearms tracking systems and arms handling training, while the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Nigerian Defence Academy carried out related purchases.
In contrast, spending in 2025 was significantly lower and limited to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, which recorded N245.84m in September as mobilisation for arms procurement and N573.62m in December as final payment, bringing the total for the year to N819.46m.
Overall, the spending pattern indicates that while multiple security agencies were involved in arms procurement over the period, the bulk of the expenditure was driven by the Ministry of Defence, particularly in 2024 when large-scale purchases dominated the records.
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