As Nigeria joins the world to commemorate the United Nations Anti-Corruption Day, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), the Nigerian chapter of Transparency International (TI), has raised a strong alarm over the deepening link between corruption and the country’s escalating insecurity.
In a statement signed by its Executive Director and Head of TI-Nigeria, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, the organisation expressed concern that despite years of heavy spending on defence and internal security, corruption continues to cripple the nation’s safety architecture and expose citizens to persistent violence.
Rafsanjani noted that Nigeria’s struggle with terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, militancy, communal clashes and organised crime has been worsened by systemic corruption that permeates every level of the security sector from procurement and recruitment to welfare, intelligence, and operational command.
According to CISLAC/TI-Nigeria, billions of naira allocated to defence and security are routinely lost through inflated contracts, questionable procurement processes, and diversion of funds meant for operations, equipment and troop welfare. The organisation said corruption in welfare administration has left frontline soldiers demoralised, while families of officers who die in service often remain abandoned.
The group further warned that recruitment corruption has placed unqualified individuals in sensitive positions, sidelining competent officers. It also condemned what it described as the discriminatory allocation of security assets, where the lives of ordinary citizens remain unprotected while some individuals receive excessive security privileges. Practices such as nepotism and unlawful tenure extensions in security institutions, CISLAC/TI-Nigeria stressed, pose a grave threat to national stability.
The statement also criticised weak legislative oversight and the failure of government institutions to enforce accountability within the security sector. It noted that poor intelligence sharing among security agencies has created operational loopholes exploited by criminal networks. CISLAC/TI-Nigeria added that bribery at police checkpoints and illegal returns paid to senior officers reflect how corruption has seeped into routine policing.
Rafsanjani lamented what he described as a collapse of administrative justice, where impunity persists for operational failures and corruption-related misconduct. He also faulted the widespread violation of the presidential directive restricting police escorts for VIPs, saying the order has been largely ignored. The organisation further warned that ransom-driven negotiations and profiteering by certain actors have turned insecurity into a lucrative enterprise.
CISLAC/TI-Nigeria expressed deep worry over Nigeria’s alarming proliferation of small arms and light weapons. It recalled that in 2021, Nigeria was estimated to hold about 70 per cent of illicit weapons in West Africa. This, the organisation said, combined with growing concerns over terrorist financing, has contributed to Nigeria ranking eighth among the countries most affected by terrorism in the 2024 Global Terrorism Index.
The group called for urgent, comprehensive reforms, urging the Federal Government, National Assembly, security agencies and anti-corruption bodies to prioritise transparency in defence and security spending. It demanded full disclosure of procurement processes, audited defence expenditures, and stronger parliamentary scrutiny of security budgets.
CISLAC/TI-Nigeria also advocated for an independent defence procurement audit mechanism to eliminate contract inflation, ghost projects and the misuse of security funds. The organisation called for strict disciplinary actions against officers involved in bribery, extortion or collusion with criminal groups, and urged the government to improve welfare, insurance and equipment for frontline personnel.
The organisation further emphasised the need for strengthened intelligence sharing, inter-agency cooperation and robust protection for whistle-blowers in the security and defence sector.
CISLAC/TI-Nigeria maintained that Nigeria cannot win the war against insecurity without tackling corruption head-on. It warned that no amount of military spending or sophisticated weaponry will deliver results if corruption, weak oversight and impunity continue to undermine the nation’s security framework.
“The safety of Nigerians must not be sacrificed for corruption, political interests or institutional negligence,” the statement said.
Rafsanjani reiterated the organisation’s commitment to partnering with government, parliament, security agencies and citizens to champion reforms that will strengthen national security, restore accountability and rebuild public trust.
He stressed that Nigeria deserves a secure, just and prosperous future — a future that can only be realised by confronting corruption at the heart of the nation’s security system.
