Nigeria spent N55 billion importing arms and ammunition in the first six months of 2026, according to a review of foreign trade data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The figure comprises N32.5 billion spent between January and March, and N22.5 billion spent between April and June, as the country continues to grapple with insecurity and the spread of illegal weapons.
The latest numbers add to a growing list of high import bills in recent years. A previous review of NBS data showed Nigeria spent N827.1 billion on arms and ammunition imports between 2020 and September 2025 — just under six years.
Yearly spending has fluctuated sharply over that period. Imports stood at N29.2 billion in 2020, rose to N72.4 billion in 2021, then fell to N28.2 billion in 2022. Spending then climbed again, hitting N127.1 billion in 2023 and jumping to N520 billion in 2024. Between January and September 2025 alone, Nigeria spent N50.2 billion on arms imports.
The spending comes against a backdrop of persistent insecurity, including attacks by terrorist groups and the wider circulation of illicit firearms across the country.
In June 2025, the United States flagged growing concern over the spread of weapons among violent extremist groups in Nigeria and across the Sahel, linking the trend to its military withdrawal from Niger Republic. Then-U.S. Africa Command chief, General Michael Langley, said attacks by extremist groups had increased in both frequency and complexity since the U.S. pulled out of Niger in September 2024, driven partly by the proliferation of weapons and the growing capability of terrorist groups in the region. He added that the withdrawal had weakened Washington’s ability to monitor these groups closely, though the U.S. continues working with regional partners.
Nigeria’s military leadership has raised similar alarms. In July 2025, then-Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa said Nigeria accounted for an estimated 40 per cent of all illegal weapons circulating in West Africa. Musa made the remarks while delivering a lecture at the University of Ibadan, where he called for an overhaul of the country’s security strategy, warning that global instability continues to have direct implications for Nigeria’s domestic security situation.
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