Nigeria has launched a National Strategy for Combating Organised Crime, introducing a coordinated, intelligence-led framework aimed at dismantling criminal networks involved in cybercrime, drug trafficking, human trafficking, migrant smuggling and other transnational offences.
The strategy, unveiled in Abuja with the participation of government institutions, security and law enforcement agencies, international partners and civil society organisations, seeks to end institutional silos and strengthen cooperation in the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of organised crime.
Developed through extensive multi-agency consultations and technical collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the strategy is designed to provide a common national framework for confronting increasingly sophisticated criminal networks operating within Nigeria and across its borders.
Delivering the keynote address on behalf of the National Security Adviser, the National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre, Major General Adamu Laka, said a united front was critical to protecting Nigeria’s national security and stability.
Laka said inter-agency coordination could no longer be regarded as optional, stressing that sustained collaboration was required to effectively disrupt criminal networks and the structures that enable them.
He identified intelligence sharing, joint investigations, specialised operational capabilities and stronger regional and international cooperation as central components of the new strategy.
The framework also provides for the protection of victims and witnesses, reflecting an approach that combines criminal justice and national security priorities with the protection of human rights and affected communities.
The strategy comes against the backdrop of growing concerns over criminal groups’ increasing use of technology, cross-border mobility, economic vulnerabilities and illicit financial networks to expand their operations.
The UNODC World Drug Report 2025 estimated that 316 million people used drugs globally in 2023, while organised criminal groups continued to exploit global crises and expand illicit markets, including across Africa.
Similarly, the UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2024 recorded a rise in identified trafficking victims following the COVID-19 pandemic, with children accounting for nearly 40 per cent of identified victims.
Speaking at the launch, UNODC Country Representative Cheikh Toure welcomed Nigeria’s commitment to a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to combating organised crime.
Toure and Tolliver Derrick, Director of the United States Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, expressed support for the strategy, particularly its emphasis on coordinated, victim-centred and rights-based interventions.
The approach is consistent with international best practices advocated by UNODC, including its Organised Crime Strategy Toolkit, which promotes integrated responses involving government institutions, civil society, communities and international partners.
Participants at the launch identified inter-agency and regional cooperation, operational readiness, specialised capacity and respect for the rule of law as critical to the strategy’s success.
They stressed that no single institution could effectively confront the increasingly complex and interconnected nature of organised crime without sustained cooperation.
Effective implementation, they noted, would require timely intelligence sharing, joint investigations, intelligence-led operations and stronger partnerships among security agencies, law enforcement institutions, communities, civil society and international partners.
The project coordinator from the National Counter Terrorism Centre and national consultants presented the strategy’s core objectives, implementation roadmap, assessment of organised crime in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea, as well as its monitoring and evaluation framework.
The presentations effectively marked the transition from policy development to implementation, with stakeholders expected to focus on measurable outcomes and sustained operational delivery.
The strategy covers a broad spectrum of organised criminal activities, including cybercrime, illicit drug markets, trafficking in persons, migrant smuggling and environmental crimes.
For communities affected by organised crime, the framework is expected to link national security interventions with the protection of livelihoods, human rights and community safety.
The initiative was financially supported by the United States Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.
