10 govs may get N140bn security votes in 2026

No fewer than 10 state governors across the federation may receive about N140bn as security votes in 2026, according to a Saturday PUNCH analysis of their states’ budget implementation reports.

This follows a steady rise in the security vote funds released by the states over the past two years, amid escalating killings, abductions and terror attacks in parts of the country.

Findings by Saturday PUNCH revealed that annually, over 30 states earmarked sums ranging from N300m to as much as N32bn for security votes yearly.

However, about 10 states have consistently accounted for the largest share of the allocations in recent times.

The states are Borno, Plateau, Ondo, Ebonyi, Katsina, Nasarawa, Adamawa, Edo, Bayelsa and Delta.

Data showed that the states recorded the highest security vote releases over the two-year period.

Budget performance reports indicated that the states disbursed about N80bn as security votes in 2024, representing 72.2 per cent of the N110.8bn budgeted for the purpose.

However, within the first nine months of 2025, the same states had released N87.87bn, accounting for about 69 per cent of the N127.36bn earmarked for the controversial funds in the year.

When annualised, the 2025 figure translates to an estimated N117.2bn for the full year, reflecting an increase of about 46 per cent over the 2024 outturn.

Based on this growth trajectory, projections suggest that security votes accruing to the top 10 states could rise to around N140bn in 2026, if the current pace of disbursement is maintained.

Over the two years, Borno State recorded the highest security vote release, disbursing N9.24bn in 2024 out of the N24bn allocated for the year.

The state’s allocation, however, rose sharply in 2025, with N41.59bn budgeted and N32.3bn released within the first three quarters of the year.

Plateau and Ondo states followed a similar pattern, releasing N18.9bn and N10.2bn respectively in 2024, while spending N17.28bn and N7.76bn between January and September 2025.

Similarly, Katsina released N5.98bn out of N6bn in 2024, Nasarawa paid out the entire N7bn voted, while Adamawa disbursed N7.3bn, exceeding its N7.2bn budget.

Ebonyi also released the full N4.2bn allocated in 2024, Edo disbursed N12.38bn out of N12.8bn, Bayelsa released N2bn from an N8bn budget, while Delta paid out N2.79bn from N10.6bn.

Disbursements surged further in the first nine months of 2025 in some of the states, with Ebonyi releasing N4bn out of N6bn, and Nasarawa disbursing N4.4bn, exceeding the N4bn budgeted.

Adamawa released N4.5bn from N10.7bn, Edo disbursed N9.89bn out of N11.3bn, Katsina released N3bn from N4.4bn, Bayelsa paid out N2.39bn from N4.88bn, while Delta disbursed N2.4bn out of N10.6bn.

Security votes are annual funds allocated to governors to address security emergencies, intelligence gathering and rapid-response operations.

The funds are typically released outside detailed line-item budgeting and are not subjected to comprehensive public accounting, a practice that has continued to attract criticism from civil society organisations and fiscal transparency advocates.

Concerns have also persisted that the funds are routinely diverted, mismanaged or deployed for political patronage, rather than the security purposes for which they are intended.

Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, a Professor of Criminology and Security Studies at Adekunle Ajasin University, Prof Sigismund Akinbulumo, called for stronger transparency and oversight of security votes at the state level.

He argued that rising allocations should be matched with clearer disclosure of utilisation and measurable improvements in security outcomes, including reduced violence, faster response times by security agencies and clearer reporting on how the funds support security operations.

The professor urged governors of the affected states to adopt more open reporting practices and integrate security votes into broader, independently assessable security strategies, warning that continued increases without visible results could further deepen public skepticism.(Punch)