Maiduguri, Borno State – December 5, 2025 – Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum has disclosed that his administration has spent approximately N100 billion this year alone on combating insecurity, a figure that lays bare the enormous economic price the state continues to pay more than 15 years after the Boko Haram insurgency began.
The governor made the revelation on Thursday, December 4, during a working visit to the palace of the Emir of Uba, HRH Ali Ibn Mamza, in Uba town, Askira/Uba Local Government Area. The trip was part of Zulum’s ongoing personal assessments of security conditions in southern Borno, one of the areas still experiencing sporadic attacks by insurgents.
Speaking directly to the Emir and community leaders, Zulum said the persistent threat has scared away private contractors, forcing the state to take unusual steps to keep development moving. “My visit is mainly to assess the security situation. Security is important; without it, there would be no peace,” he explained. “I have plans to construct roads, but the problem is no contractor will want to come down and work here. That’s why I am establishing a quarry site in Gwoza and purchasing 100 trucks so that our road maintenance agency can construct roads ourselves.”
He continued: “In this year alone, what I spent on security is about N100 billion. If there was peace, why wouldn’t I use that money for developmental projects? We have many plans for education, health, and more. The truth is that we are spending a lot on security and putting structures on the ground.”
The N100 billion covers a wide range of expenses: logistics and stipends for thousands of Civilian Joint Task Force members and hunters, fuel and maintenance for military patrols, emergency relief for communities after attacks, rehabilitation of liberated areas, and direct support to security agencies operating in the state.
Zulum assured residents that once the security situation stabilises further, major road projects linking Askira/Uba with neighbouring towns will begin immediately. He also promised the establishment of higher institutions of learning, computer training centres, and other empowerment programmes in the area.
In his response, the Emir of Uba commended the governor for his hands-on leadership despite the difficult circumstances. “You’ve done a lot for us with many projects. If not for you, we would be suffering,” Emir Ali Ibn Mamza said. “We will continue to pray for lasting peace in Borno and the entire country.”
The governor’s disclosure has sparked widespread discussion across Nigeria, with many expressing shock at the scale of resources being diverted from schools, hospitals, and roads into what has become an endless counter-insurgency effort. Even with significant gains made in recent years, including the recapture of territories and the resettlement of hundreds of thousands of displaced persons, pockets of southern and northern Borno remain unsafe for large-scale civilian projects.
Borno, the birthplace of the Boko Haram crisis, continues to bear the heaviest burden of the conflict. More than 1.5 million people remain internally displaced within the state, and farming activities in rural areas are frequently disrupted by attacks and the fear of attacks. The insurgency has cost Nigeria billions of dollars over the years, but few statements have illustrated the day-to-day financial haemorrhage as starkly as Governor Zulum’s N100 billion revelation for a single year in one state.
As 2025 draws to a close, the people of Borno, led by a governor known for his frequent frontline visits and blunt assessments, are left hoping that the massive investment in security will finally translate into the lasting peace needed to rebuild schools, clinics, markets, and roads, and to allow children to grow up without the constant sound of gunfire in the distance.
