In 2023, UNODC in cooperation with the National Institute for Security Studies launched the report on Organized Crime in Nigeria: A Threat Assessment. The report details how transnational organized crime groups operating in Nigeria and hubs across different countries have evolved and grown over the past decades. Transnational organized crime groups operating in and out of Nigeria have become both more violent, more sophisticated, and constitute a serious threat to people, the economy, and the environment.
Nigeria is a base, transit and destination country for organized crime enabled by its porous borders and strategic location along global shipping routes. Organized crime is considered one of the core drivers of insecurity in Nigeria that negatively impacts stability, democratic governance and the rule of law.
Our work
UNODC’s multidisciplinary programme approach to organized crime is centered on investigating and preventing the trafficking of people and smuggling of migrants, illegal drugs, endangered wildlife species and maritime crime and piracy. UNODC further supports financial investigations and the monitoring of illicit financial flows, recovery of stolen assets and anti-corruption measures in Nigeria to fully disrupt organized and transnational criminal networks.
UNODC is supporting the Nigerian government and its agencies in building capacities and intensifying international cooperation with law enforcement and judicial authorities in other countries to effectively combat transnational organized crime.
Our partners
UNODC's key governmental partners include, among others, the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the Federal Ministry of Health, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Elimination of Drug Use (PACEDA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Navy, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), National Agency for Control of AIDS (NACA), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS).
