Nigeria’s growing kidnapping-for-ransom crisis is exposing weaknesses in the institutions responsible for preventing crime, protecting communities and delivering justice, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has warned.
The organisation made the assessment in its 9th Nigeria SDG 16 Shadow Report, launched at a United Nations General Assembly side event in New York.
Presenting the report, CISLAC Executive Director and Head of Transparency International Nigeria, Comrade Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani), said the commercialisation of kidnapping should be understood not only as a security problem but also as evidence of wider institutional weaknesses.
The report links the insecurity challenge to the broader question of whether state institutions are sufficiently effective, accountable and capable of enforcing the rule of law.
The institutional problem is particularly visible when security agencies are unable to consistently prevent attacks, respond effectively to threats, investigate kidnappings and ensure that perpetrators face justice.
Where intelligence is not effectively translated into prevention, where responses are delayed, and where criminal investigations do not consistently result in prosecutions and convictions, kidnapping can become a profitable and repeatable criminal enterprise.
Rafsanjani said the consequences extend beyond the victims of individual attacks.
“This is not simply a security challenge. It has profound implications for governance, economic development, human rights and the rule of law,” he said.
The report argues that citizens’ inability to live, work or travel without fear directly undermines the objective of building peaceful and inclusive societies under SDG 16.
The security concerns are part of a wider institutional picture identified by CISLAC. The organisation said Nigeria has laws and institutions addressing corruption, justice and public accountability, but implementation and enforcement remain weak and inconsistent.
It also identified concerns around political interference, institutional independence and public confidence in key institutions, including the judiciary and security agencies.
According to the report, these weaknesses matter because security cannot be separated from justice and accountability. Effective policing without credible investigation and prosecution leaves gaps in the justice chain, while institutions perceived as lacking independence can weaken public willingness to cooperate with authorities.
CISLAC also raised concerns over asset declarations, unexplained wealth and the management of recovered assets, calling for stronger mechanisms to track recovered resources and ensure public accountability.
Rafsanjani said recovering illicit assets without adequate post-recovery monitoring could allow public resources to become vulnerable to further mismanagement.
With the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals approaching, CISLAC called for reforms that strengthen the entire institutional chain—from prevention and security response to investigation, prosecution and judicial accountability.
Rafsanjani urged government, civil society, development partners and the international community to move beyond policy commitments and focus on measurable improvements in institutional performance.
The report’s central concern is that Nigeria’s security crisis cannot be sustainably addressed through security operations alone. The institutions responsible for preventing crime, enforcing the law and delivering justice must be capable of functioning effectively, independently and accountably.
For CISLAC, strengthening those institutions is therefore an essential part of confronting the kidnapping economy and restoring citizens’ confidence in the state.