Nigeria’s ₦804bn Arms Imports Raise Concerns, Calls Grow for Local Defence Production

Nigeria spent a staggering ₦804.10bn on arms and ammunition imports between 2020 and mid-2025, according to new figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Despite repeated government pledges to expand domestic weapons manufacturing, the data shows that the country still relies heavily on foreign suppliers, sparking concerns over foreign exchange depletion and national security vulnerability.

Industry players and stakeholders are now demanding urgent collaboration between the military and local manufacturers to reduce dependence on costly imports and strengthen indigenous capacity.

NBS records revealed that in 2020, Nigeria imported arms worth ₦29.24bn. The figure more than doubled in 2021, reaching ₦72.50bn, before dropping to ₦28.24bn in 2022.

However, imports spiked again in 2023 at ₦127.16bn, and skyrocketed in 2024 to ₦520.02bn the highest in five years.

Between January and June 2025, arms imports stood at ₦26.95bn, suggesting that the upward trend remains unbroken. In comparison, imports during the first half of 2024 were just ₦11.76bn, but surged to ₦508.25bn in the second half of that year.