Nigeria’s worsening for-ransom crisis is exposing serious weaknesses in the institutions responsible for protecting citizens and enforcing the law, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has said.
CISLAC Executive Director and Head of Transparency International Nigeria, Comrade Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani), made the observation while presenting the 9th Nigeria SDG 16 Shadow Report at a United Nations General Assembly side event in New York.
The report, covering July 2025 to August 2026, examines Nigeria’s progress on SDG 16, which focuses on peace, justice and strong institutions.
Rafsanjani said the growing commercialisation of kidnapping was no longer only a security concern.
He said it had become a test of the state’s capacity to protect lives, enforce laws and guarantee citizens’ basic freedoms.
“This is not simply a security challenge. It has profound implications for governance, economic development, human rights and the rule of law,” he said.
According to him, citizens who cannot safely live, work or travel are effectively being denied the security necessary for peaceful and inclusive communities.
CISLAC linked the persistence of the crisis to wider institutional weaknesses, including poor enforcement, inconsistent implementation and concerns over accountability.
The report also flagged challenges affecting the judiciary, security institutions and electoral bodies, warning that weaknesses in these institutions can erode public confidence in government.
Rafsanjani said Nigeria’s challenge was therefore not simply a shortage of laws or institutions, but ensuring that existing institutions actually work effectively and independently.
The report acknowledged progress in tackling illicit financial flows, asset recovery and money laundering.
However, CISLAC said these actions had yet to produce corresponding improvements in transparency, institutional integrity and public confidence.
It also raised concerns over asset declarations, unexplained wealth and the management of recovered assets.
Rafsanjani warned that recovering stolen assets without transparent post-recovery management could create another accountability gap.
“Without effective post-recovery tracking and public accountability, recovered assets can become vulnerable to mismanagement and the cycle of corruption can be repeated,” he said.
With the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals approaching, CISLAC called for measurable reforms rather than further commitments on paper.
Rafsanjani urged government to strengthen institutions, improve transparency, protect civic space, expand access to information and uphold the rule of law.
He said Nigeria’s development would remain fragile unless citizens could trust public institutions to protect them, enforce the law and account for public resources.