Corruption In Defence Fuelling Insecurity- CISLAC, Transparency International
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Transparency International (TI) have revealed that pervasive corruption within Nigeria’s defence ministry is a major contributor to the country’s escalating insecurity.
Speaking during a regional briefing on Nigeria’s defence sector in Enugu on Thursday, Executive Director of CISLAC/TI Nigeria, Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsanjani, said systemic corruption continues to undermine the effectiveness of the security apparatus in a nation grappling with serious internal security threats.
Represented by CISLAC’s Programmes Manager, Jimoh Abubakar, Rafsanjani said the findings, drawn from the 2020 Government Defence Integrity Index (GDI), emphasize the need for urgent reforms to enhance institutional resilience and integrity within Nigeria’s defence governance framework.
According to CISLAC, the defence sector’s rising expenditure and opaque procurement processes lack proper oversight and transparency, which has allowed corruption to thrive unchecked.
“The defence institutions must prioritise transparency and public access to information, especially on defence budgets and disaggregated expenditures,” Abubakar said.
The organisation also stressed that stronger accountability measures and civilian oversight are vital to fostering long-term resilience and integrity in the military.
The policy brief further noted that the inability of the security forces to protect citizens from terrorist attacks has led to the rise of self-defence militias and increased militarisation of local communities — a development it says is both dangerous and unsustainable.
CISLAC cited Nigeria’s poor ranking on the 2023 Transparency International Corruption Perception Index, where the country placed 145th out of 180 countries, as evidence of the systemic nature of the problem.
The group added that recurring reports of soldier desertions and corruption in the procurement of arms and safety equipment have exposed front-line troops to grave danger.
“From 2016 to 2022, Nigeria spent over $19.9 billion on security. In 2021 alone, the military budget rose sharply to $4.5 billion from $2.4 billion in 2020, but results on the battlefield remain minimal,” CISLAC stated.
Despite these high expenditures, Nigeria remains the largest arms importer in Sub-Saharan Africa, accounting for 16% of the region’s arms imports between 2019 and 2023.
CISLAC also cited findings by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), which reported that $15 billion was lost to fraudulent arms procurement deals over the past two decades.
The briefing concluded with a call for urgent reforms aimed at improving transparency, accountability, and operational efficiency across all levels of Nigeria’s defence architecture.