The Federal Government released at least N490bn for military allowances and security operations within months in 2025, according to official records.
Documents show N450bn was paid as non-regular allowances to military and paramilitary agencies between April and June 2025. The funds came in three tranches of N150bn each.
Each tranche followed the same pattern. Money was received from non-oil revenue and then fully transferred to a sub-recurrent account within days.
In a separate entry, the government also released N40bn for security operations through the Office of the National Security Adviser in September 2025.
The amount was paid in one tranche and disbursed in full before the end of the month.
Like the broader intervention programme, these funds moved through transit accounts, with no retained balance after disbursement.
The records do not state how the funds were spent or which operations they supported.
The spending comes as businesses continue to cite insecurity as a major challenge. A Central Bank survey ranked insecurity as the top constraint in February 2026, ahead of taxes and power supply.
The findings suggest that high security spending has yet to ease concerns among businesses about safety and stability.
