Nigeria allocates 500 billion naira for emergency security after a surge in bandit attacks.
Boubacar Sani – Nigeria
The federal government has cut approximately 500 billion naira from the revenues of the Federal Accounts Allocation Commission (FAAC) for May 2026 to fund an emergency national security intervention aimed at addressing worsening insecurity across the country, particularly banditry, terrorism and kidnapping.
Sources familiar with the procedures of the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) revealed that the deduction was made before the monthly revenue-sharing process involving the federal government, states, and local governing bodies.
A senior official confirmed this development, saying: “The Federation Accounts Allocation Commission (FAAC) has cut 500 billion naira to the National Security Emergency Fund this month.”.
Another source explained that the deduction contributed significantly to the gap between the total revenue collected and the amount that was ultimately distributed across the three levels of government.
According to the same source, the state finance ministers, who are members of the Federal Accounts Allocation Commission (FAAC), were aware of the cut and did not object to the move.
Allocating 250 billion naira to the military intervention fund
Documents obtained from a meeting of the Federal Revenue Allocation Committee (FAAC) in May 2026 showed the allocation of 250 billion naira to the Military Intervention Fund and 252 billion naira to the States Infrastructure Development Fund.
An additional 450 billion naira was also transferred to the non-oil revenue surplus account, bringing the total major discounts to 952 billion naira.
This disclosure comes as the Federal Revenue Allocation Commission distributed 2.3 trillion naira to the federal government, states, and 774 local governing boards from the May 2026 revenues, an increase from the 2.26 trillion naira distributed in April.
Official records indicate that total available revenue for this month amounted to 3.395 trillion naira, after deducting 123.5 billion naira as collection fees and allocating 971.6 billion naira for transfers and refunds prior to final distribution.
Security and economic analysts have welcomed the creation of the emergency fund, stressing that Nigeria’s security challenges require additional resources for military operations, intelligence gathering, equipment procurement, and personnel recruitment.
Dr. Ayew Teriba, CEO of Economic Associates, said that the country's security funding gaps remain evident, and that additional funding is needed to strengthen security institutions.
However, he stressed the need for transparency and accountability in the management of the fund, to reassure Nigerians that the resources will be used effectively.
Similarly, Professor Akpan Ekbo, an economist and public policy expert, described security as essential to economic growth and investment, noting that the dedicated intervention fund could contribute to improving the country’s security architecture if it were managed efficiently.
Meanwhile, the Department of State Security (DSS) opposed provisions in the proposed Security Trust Fund bill that would allow foreign organizations to contribute financially to security operations.
In a public hearing in the House of Representatives, the State Department warned that foreign funding could jeopardize intelligence operations, national sovereignty, and the independence of institutions.
The administration urged lawmakers to remove this clause and limit funding sources to local organizations and government allocations.
This development comes amid renewed efforts by security agencies to counter the rise in attacks by bandits and other criminal groups across the country, with the Nigerian police force also redeploying deputy inspectors general of police in the six geopolitical regions to enhance security coordination and operational response.
