Senate Warns Poor Security Funding Undermines Nigeria’s Fight Against Terrorism
Chukwu Obinna 
ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria’s Senate security committee warns that outdated budgeting practices are crippling agencies battling terrorism, kidnapping and cybercrime.
Committee chairman Yahaya Abdullahi on Wednesday told a budget defence hearing that the envelope budgeting system, which imposes fixed ceilings regardless of operational need, leaves security agencies dangerously underfunded.
“It is disheartening that agencies facing existential threats still operate under arbitrary limits,” Abdullahi says, adding that approved capital funds for 2024 and 2025 remain largely unreleased.
The hearing follows President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a national security emergency. Abdullahi argues that the declaration risks becoming symbolic without predictable funding.
Permanent Secretary for Special Services at the Office of the National Security Adviser, Mohammed Sanusi, confirms that irregular overhead releases and unimplemented capital budgets hamper operations throughout 2025.
“No nation can grow without adequate security,” Sanusi tells senators, urging supplementary funding to close critical gaps.
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Mirian Gom 
Oluwafunbi Bello