Nigeria’s foreign arms imports jumped 129 percent to N26.95 billion in H1 2025, reversing a 2024 slump as security threats spur renewed military procurement.
Nigeria’s expenditure on imported arms and ammunition surged to N26.95 billion in the first half of 2025, representing a 129 percent increase from N11.76 billion in the same period of 2024, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) foreign trade report. The sharp rebound follows a historic collapse in 2024, when imports plunged 90 percent from the record N121.36 billion logged in H1 2023.
The latest figures show that N22.08 billion—over 80 percent of the half-year total—was spent in the first quarter, more than double the N10.72 billion recorded in Q1 2024. Imports slowed to N4.87 billion in Q2 2025 but still exceeded the N1.04 billion of Q2 2024.
Analysts say the renewed spending reflects Nigeria’s ongoing security pressures, citing Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgency in the North-East, rampant banditry in the North-West, and kidnappings across the North-Central. The NBS noted that “military procurement patterns remain highly volatile, driven by contract cycles and government priorities,” adding to concerns about fiscal strain amid rising debt service costs.