The funds were sourced from the Federation Account and other government revenue streams, including non-oil revenue and transfers from a FAAC withholding account.
The figures were contained in a document titled Ledger of Special Intervention Programme for Nigerian Military September, 2026, prepared by the Federation Account Department of the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
The document was presented to the Technical Sub-Committee of FAAC at its meeting in Abuja on 14 October 2026.
According to the records, the programme recorded 33 funding transactions and 30 disbursement transactions between November 2023 and September 2026.
The intervention funds were separate from the regular annual budgetary allocations to the Ministry of Defence and other security institutions, indicating additional financial commitments by the government towards addressing insecurity.
However, the ledger did not specify how much was spent on particular military operations, weapons and equipment, personnel expenses or other security-related projects.
Funding increased significantly in 2026
The intervention programme began with a N100bn transfer on 19 October 2023, identified in the ledger as the September 2023 allocation.
The first corresponding disbursement of N100bn was made to the military on 8 November 2023. A further N100bn was received on 20 November and released on 20 December.
By the end of December 2023, the account had received and disbursed N300bn, leaving no outstanding balance.
The funding arrangement continued throughout 2024, with monthly transfers generally maintained at N100bn and corresponding payments made to military and paramilitary agencies.
Between January and December 2024, total receipts and disbursements stood at N1.2tn, bringing cumulative funding and payments since the programme began to N1.5tn.
Although the transactions were largely classified as monthly allocations, the dates of transfers and payments did not always coincide with the months to which the funds related.
For example, the January 2024 allocation was transferred on 27 February, while the corresponding payment was made on 1 March.
The ledger also indicated that a second phase of the programme commenced in July 2024, with another N100bn transfer recorded on 27 July.
The arrangement continued into 2025, with the government maintaining the N100bn monthly funding pattern.
During the first nine months of 2025, the account received N900bn and disbursed the same amount. This brought cumulative payments to N2.4tn by 1 September 2025.
The records therefore showed that N2.4tn had been released between November 2023 and September 2025 before the intervention programme witnessed a substantial increase in funding in 2026.
In 2026, individual transfers rose considerably above the previous N100bn monthly pattern, with transactions ranging between N200bn and N500bn.
On 18 March 2026, the government transferred N200bn from the FAAC Withheld Account, described as savings for March 2026.
The ledger also recorded a N100bn payment to security agencies on 16 March, two days before the corresponding transfer was documented.
Further transactions included a N250bn transfer from non-oil revenue on 18 May and a N130bn payment from the FAAC Withheld Account to security agencies on 25 May.
Another N120bn payment was recorded on 3 June into the Consolidated Pool Account II Treasury Single Account.
Unlike the other entries, the transaction was not expressly identified as a payment to military or paramilitary agencies.
On 16 June, the government recorded a N400bn transfer from non-oil revenue for May. However, the transaction was reversed on the same day and replaced with a fresh N500bn transfer from the same revenue source.
A corresponding N500bn payment to military and paramilitary agencies was also recorded on 16 June, making it one of the largest single disbursements under the programme.
The funding pattern continued in July, with N500bn transferred from non-oil revenue on 15 July and a corresponding payment made on 22 July.
In August, another N500bn was transferred and disbursed on 19 August.
The September transactions followed a similar pattern, with N500bn transferred on 16 September and the corresponding payment recorded on 23 September.
The ledger’s final entry showed an additional N500bn transfer from non-oil revenue on 14 October, classified as the September 2026 allocation.
Although the document was titled September 2026, the inclusion of the October transaction indicated that its financial position reflected the latest transfer available at the time of the FAAC technical meeting.
2026 payments account for over half of total disbursements
The figures showed that the intervention account received N3.25tn in 2026 up to 14 October, compared with N1.2tn throughout 2024.
This represented an increase of approximately 170.83 per cent, even though the 2026 figures covered only part of the year.
Disbursements in 2026 stood at N2.75tn, compared with N1.2tn in 2024, representing an increase of 129.17 per cent.
The N2.75tn released in 2026 accounted for approximately 53.40 per cent of the N5.15tn disbursed since the programme commenced.
The amount also exceeded the combined N2.4tn released between November 2023 and September 2025.
The ledger further showed that N500bn remained in the intervention account as of 14 October 2026, representing 8.85 per cent of the total N5.65tn received.
The balance resulted from the latest N500bn transfer, which had no corresponding disbursement in the document.
It therefore represented funds recorded as remaining in the intervention account rather than money already released to security agencies.
Despite the substantial financial commitments, Nigeria continues to face security challenges across several parts of the country.
In the North-East, military operations against Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province remain ongoing, while banditry and mass abductions continue to affect communities in parts of the North-West and North-Central regions.
Several communities have also suffered attacks by armed groups, leading to deaths, displacement and disruptions to farming and other economic activities.
The persistent insecurity has placed additional demands on government finances, particularly in the areas of military operations, intelligence gathering, logistics and the protection of vulnerable communities.
FG moves to update national security strategy
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has commenced a review of the 2019 National Security Strategy as part of efforts to develop a new framework capable of addressing emerging security threats.
The proposed National Security Strategy 2026 is expected to address a broad range of challenges, 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 new strategy.
Ribadu, who was represented by retired Major General Sarkin Bello, said significant changes in Nigeria’s domestic, regional and international security environment since 2019 had made a comprehensive review necessary.
He noted that the country’s security challenges had become more complex, requiring a broader and more coordinated national response.
“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.
According to him, the threats confronting the country extend beyond conventional security concerns.
“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 added.
He said the new framework would provide direction for national security coordination, resilience and sustainable development, stressing that it must reflect present realities while preparing the country for emerging threats.
Also speaking, the committee’s Deputy Chairman, retired Major General Evi Onumajuru, said the changing character of security threats had made a strategic realignment necessary.
He observed that conventional threats, such as terrorism, insurgency and banditry, were increasingly linked to non-kinetic challenges, including cybercrime, economic vulnerabilities, food insecurity and climate change.
Onumajuru added that the proposed strategy should incorporate the priorities of the Renewed Hope Agenda by connecting economic prosperity and good governance with human security and national defence.
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