By our reporter
Thirty-one states across Nigeria have effectively seen N252 billion earmarked for them quietly redirected under the banner of tackling banditry and insecurity, according to official FAAC documents obtained for May 2026.
The index,deduction was part of a larger N500 billion “national security emergency fund” that the Federal Government pulled from the Federation Account Allocation Committee revenue before sharing money to the federal, state and local governments.
Details emerged after FAAC commissioners of finance from the 36 states held their May 2026 meeting, where the breakdown showed N250bn was set aside for a Military Intervention Fund, while another N252bn was allocated as an Infrastructure Development Fund to states.
Although the N252bn was tagged “Infrastructure Development Fund to states,” multiple officials confirmed it was tied to emergency interventions against bandits, insurgents and other criminal groups that have been worsening across the country.
A source privy to the proceedings put it plainly: “FAAC deducted N500bn for national security emergency fund this month”, with commissioners said to be “in the loop” but choosing not to speak publicly about it.
The move came amid rising attacks by bandits in the North-West, North-Central and other parts of the country, forcing the FG to act before the monthly revenue sharing exercise.
7. In total, three major deductions hit the federation account in May: N250bn for military operations, N252bn for states’ infrastructure/security response, and N450bn moved to the Non-Oil Excess Revenue Account — bringing combined subtractions to N952bn.
8. Despite the huge deductions, FAAC still distributed N2.3 trillion to the Federal Government, 36 states and 774 local governments for May 2026, which was N43bn higher than April’s N2.26 trillion.
The federal government got N818.68bn, states received N759.14bn, and local councils got N534.28bn, with oil-producing states taking N188.13bn as 13% derivation.
Security analysts say the N252bn allocation to states reflects how states have been “exhausted” financially by years of banditry, as many can no longer fund operations from IGR alone. North-West and North-Central states in particular have seen IGR collapse due to insecurity.
Data from previous years shows the scale of the problem. Between 2023 and 2025, states budgeted over N525bn in “security votes”, with Borno alone spending N57.40bn, Anambra N42.57bn, and Zamfara N31.40bn.
Just in Q2 2025, 21 states earmarked about N132.73bn for security votes amid killings in Plateau, Borno and Katsina. States like Zamfara, Kaduna, Katsina, Benue and Sokoto were among those listed.
The new emergency fund underscores a shift: instead of states bearing the cost alone, the FG is now centralizing deductions to fund coordinated operations. Governors had earlier proposed a regional Security Trust Fund of N1bn monthly per state.
However, critics argue more money alone won’t solve it. Experts point to a “sophisticated criminal economy” built on ransom, cattle rustling, illegal mining and arms trafficking that has fueled banditry since 2011. Reports estimate over 600,000 deaths in 11 months and N2 trillion+ paid in ransom.
For now, the N252bn will go to states as part of the infrastructure response, but with commissioners keeping quiet and citizens demanding accountability, pressure is mounting for quarterly public disclosure and audits of how the security money is spending.
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