The Federal Government has disbursed ₦5.15tn from a special intervention fund for the military and related security agencies, as Nigeria continues to battle terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other security threats across the country.
An analysis of Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) documents obtained by The PUNCH showed that the government received ₦5.65tn into the dedicated intervention account, with ₦5.15tn released through recorded transactions, representing approximately 91.15 per cent of the total receipts.
The records, contained in a document titled Ledger of Special Intervention Programme for Nigerian Military September 2026, were prepared by the Federation Account Department of the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation. They were presented to the Technical Sub-Committee of FAAC at a meeting in Abuja on October 14, 2026.
According to the analysis, the account recorded 33 funding transactions and 30 payment transactions between November 2023 and October 14, 2026. The intervention was funded through allocations from the Federation Account, non-oil revenue and transfers from a FAAC withholding account.
The special intervention funding was separate from the regular annual budgetary allocations to the Ministry of Defence and other security institutions, highlighting the additional resources channelled towards security operations.
However, the ledger did not provide details of the specific military operations, equipment purchases, personnel expenses or security projects financed through the intervention.
The programme began with a ₦100bn transfer on October 19, 2023, described as the September 2023 allocation. The first ₦100bn payment to the military was recorded on November 8, 2023, followed by another ₦100bn receipt on November 20, which was disbursed on December 20.
By the end of December 2023, the account had received and disbursed ₦300bn, leaving no outstanding balance.
The funding arrangement continued throughout 2024, largely following a pattern of monthly ₦100bn transfers and corresponding payments to military and paramilitary agencies.
Between January and December 2024, the account received ₦1.2tn and disbursed the same amount, bringing cumulative receipts and payments to ₦1.5tn.
The ledger showed that the dates of some transfers and payments did not always match the months to which the allocations related. For example, the January 2024 allocation was transferred on February 27, while the corresponding payment was made on March 1.
The programme continued into 2025, with another ₦900bn received and disbursed during the first nine months of the year. By September 1, 2025, cumulative payments had reached ₦2.4tn.
The scale of the intervention increased considerably in 2026, when individual transfers rose from the earlier ₦100bn pattern to amounts ranging between ₦200bn and ₦500bn.
On March 18, 2026, the government transferred ₦200bn from the FAAC Withheld Account, described in the ledger as savings for March. The records also listed a ₦100bn payment to security agencies on March 16, two days before the recorded transfer.
Further transactions included a ₦250bn transfer from non-oil revenue on May 18 and a ₦130bn payment from the FAAC Withheld Account on May 25.
The ledger also recorded a ₦120bn payment to the Consolidated Pool Account II Treasury Single Account on June 3. Unlike most of the other transactions, this entry was not expressly identified as a payment to military or paramilitary agencies.
On June 16, the government recorded a ₦400bn transfer from non-oil revenue for May, which was reversed on the same day. A fresh ₦500bn transfer was subsequently recorded, followed by a corresponding ₦500bn payment to military and paramilitary agencies.
Another ₦500bn was transferred from non-oil revenue on July 15 and paid to the agencies on July 22. The same amount was transferred and disbursed on August 19.
On September 16, a further ₦500bn was transferred from non-oil revenue, with the corresponding payment recorded on September 23.
The final entry showed an additional ₦500bn transfer from non-oil revenue on October 14, described as the September 2026 allocation. No corresponding disbursement was recorded against the transaction in the ledger.
The figures indicated that the intervention account received ₦3.25tn in 2026 up to October 14, compared with ₦1.2tn throughout 2024. This represented an increase of approximately 170.83 per cent in receipts, even though the 2026 figures covered only part of the year.
Payments recorded in 2026 amounted to ₦2.75tn, compared with ₦1.2tn in 2024, an increase of about 129.17 per cent.
The ₦2.75tn released in 2026 accounted for approximately 53.4 per cent of the ₦5.15tn in cumulative payments recorded since the programme began.
The government therefore disbursed more through the intervention programme in 2026 than the combined ₦2.4tn recorded between November 2023 and September 2025.
As of October 14, the account had an outstanding balance of ₦500bn, representing approximately 8.85 per cent of its total receipts. The balance reflected the latest transfer for which no corresponding payment had been recorded.
The increased funding comes amid persistent security challenges across the country.
In the North-East, military operations against Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province have continued, while banditry and mass kidnappings remain major concerns in parts of the North-West and North-Central regions.
Several communities have also suffered attacks by armed groups, resulting in deaths, displacement and disruptions to farming and other economic activities.
The challenges have placed considerable pressure on government finances, with authorities continuing to commit resources to military operations, intelligence gathering, logistics and the protection of vulnerable communities.
In a related development, the Federal Government has begun reviewing Nigeria’s 2019 National Security Strategy to develop a new framework that addresses emerging threats, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, cybercrime, food insecurity and climate change.
The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, disclosed this on Thursday during the inauguration of a committee tasked with reviewing the existing framework and developing the National Security Strategy 2026.
Ribadu, who was represented by retired Major General Sarkin Bello, said Nigeria’s security environment had changed significantly since the previous strategy was adopted in 2019, making a comprehensive review necessary.
“Our national security landscape is undergoing rapid and profound transformations. Since the last review of our strategy in 2019, the domestic, regional and global security environments have changed dramatically, with intensity,” he said.
He noted that the country was facing a combination of conventional security threats and emerging challenges requiring a broader national response.
“As you are aware, these problems range from terrorism, banditry and kidnapping to sophisticated cyber threats, misinformation, economic problems, food insecurity and environmental challenges, among others,” Ribadu said.
He explained that the new strategy would provide a framework for coordinating national security, resilience and sustainable development, adding that it must reflect present realities while preparing the country for future threats.
Also speaking, the committee’s Deputy Chairman, retired Major General Evi Onumajuru, said the changing nature of security threats made a strategic review necessary.
He observed that traditional challenges, including terrorism, insurgency and banditry, were increasingly connected to non-kinetic threats such as cybercrime, economic vulnerabilities, food insecurity and climate change.
Onumajuru added that the strategy would need to incorporate the priorities of the Renewed Hope Agenda by linking economic prosperity and good governance with human security and national defence.
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