JANUARY 2026: How Nigeria’s Anti-corruption and Intelligence Agencies Set the Pace for 2026
By Haroon Aremu
Nigeria’s security and anti-corruption institutions entered the new year with renewed intensity, tighter coordination and strategic signalling, as agencies under the supervision of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) rolled out a flurry of operations, policy moves, arrests and international engagements.
This surge of activity unfolded against a backdrop of persistent banditry, kidnappings and public anxiety in parts of the country, underscoring the dual reality of progress and pressure shaping the nation’s security landscape.
A review of January’s developments across ONSA, the Department of State Services (DSS), the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) reveals a system striving to balance proactive field operations, intelligence-led diplomacy and accountability enforcement, while also managing domestic and international perceptions.
At the centre of this renewed momentum, ONSA began 2026 with strong signals of strategic recalibration and assertive coordination. Early in the month, political actors in Adamawa State were cautioned against invoking the name of National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu for political leverage, a move widely interpreted as an effort to insulate national security institutions from partisan influence.
This tone-setting gesture was soon reinforced by President Bola Tinubu’s directive to security chiefs to track down the perpetrators of the Niger State killings, further highlighting ONSA’s role as the nerve centre of inter-agency responses.
On the operational front, security forces recorded a string of tactical successes. Troops neutralised bandits and recovered weapons in Plateau State, dismantled criminal hideouts in Kaduna, and arrested four suspected bandits in possession of 65 rustled cows. Similar operations in Kogi State led to the neutralisation of armed criminals, reflecting a sustained effort to disrupt violent networks across multiple theatres.
Yet, even as these gains were recorded, the month delivered stark reminders of the fluid and enduring nature of Nigeria’s security challenge. The reported abduction of more than 63 worshippers during a church service in Kaduna and the killing of five soldiers and police officers in a Zamfara ambush cast a sobering shadow over official narratives of progress.
Against this tense backdrop, Ribadu also had to publicly debunk false reports of his mother’s death, a moment that highlighted how misinformation continues to trail high-profile security developments and complicate public discourse.
Beyond the battlefield, ONSA’s activities reflected an expanding diplomatic and strategic footprint. Nigeria deepened counter-terrorism cooperation with the United States, with Ribadu pointing to tangible gains in intelligence sharing and joint security initiatives. At the same time, the Federal Government’s decision to engage a US lobbying firm for $9 million to counter international claims of Christian genocide underscored the growing intersection between national security, global perception management and foreign policy advocacy.
Strategic signalling also extended into infrastructure and regional security planning. ONSA announced plans to spend $500 million on the construction of a presidential aircraft hangar, while Ribadu, alongside three governors, received an honorary doctorate at Modibbo Adama University, where President Tinubu renewed calls for the reactivation of a regional standby force. Meanwhile, environmental concerns resurfaced in Ogoniland, as reports of worsening oil spills emerged barely a month after the NSA’s visit, even as discussions on resumption plans continued, highlighting the complex overlap between security, environment and development.
Collectively, these strands painted a picture of an NSA’s office projecting authority through strategy, diplomacy and enforcement, even as insecurity remained an evolving and contested space.
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In contrast to ONSA’s public-facing posture, the National Intelligence Agency maintained its characteristic low profile, yet its influence was evident in high-level engagements. The Director-General’s role in escorting President Tinubu to Abu Dhabi for discussions on sustainable development pointed to the subtle embedding of intelligence considerations in Nigeria’s foreign engagements. While largely silent on operational matters, the NIA’s positioning reinforced its behind-the-scenes role in shaping the country’s external security posture and diplomatic outreach.
Domestically, the Department of State Services emerged as one of the most visible and active agencies of the month, combining enforcement operations with moments of internal accountability. Acting on presidential directives, the DSS intensified efforts to apprehend terrorists, disrupt criminal networks and rescue abducted victims. These efforts yielded the rescue of 25 kidnapped persons, the dismantling of arms-trafficking rings, the seizure of seven trucks transporting illegally mined lithium, and the rescue of an abducted pastor in Niger State.
However, the service also found itself under public scrutiny. The arrest of a DSS officer accused of abducting and impregnating a 16-year-old girl marked a rare and significant episode of institutional self-cleansing, even as allegations that the service concealed a woman’s death for two years tested public trust.
In the same month, the DSS invited Awujale nominees over security concerns linked to kinship-based selection processes, arrested former Attorney General Abubakar Malami and his son before releasing them, and re-arraigned activist Omoyele Sowore on amended cyberbullying charges. Malami’s subsequent claim that he was denied fair hearing added another layer of controversy. Together, these developments positioned the DSS as both assertive in the field and contested in the public sphere.
While security agencies focused on physical threats, the EFCC trained its attention on financial crimes, beginning the year with a prosecutorial-heavy approach. The commission arraigned an Austrian national for allegedly failing to declare $800,000 and €651,000, while also securing forfeitures and recoveries running into billions of naira. Among the headline figures were the recovery of $802 million for First Bank, a $150,000 forfeiture linked to a VetiFly Global director, and the recovery of N1.28 billion from contractor Sujimoto.
Although criticism trailed aspects of the Malami investigation, voices such as Barrister Deji Adyanju publicly defended the commission, warning against the politicisation of anti-corruption enforcement. In this light, January reflected an EFCC determined to set an aggressive and high-visibility tone for 2026.
Complementing this enforcement drive, the ICPC blended prosecution with preventive advocacy. The commission declared a Chinese national, Zhichao Qui, wanted over alleged money laundering, dragged associates of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai to court, and filed criminal charges in an alleged UK property fraud case involving Ozekhome. Beyond the courtroom, the ICPC intensified integrity campaigns, urging students to shun corruption and social vices, and appointed Temilade Okesanjo as Resident Consultant for Strategy and Communications, a move widely interpreted as an effort to strengthen institutional coherence and public engagement.
Taken together, January’s snapshot of Nigeria’s security, intelligence and anti-corruption agencies reveals a system in motion: more coordinated, more assertive and increasingly conscious of both public perception and international engagement. While kidnappings, attacks and governance anxieties persist, the frequency of rescues, arrests, prosecutions and strategic partnerships suggests a recalibration rather than stagnation.
As 2026 unfolds, the ultimate measure of this renewed momentum will not lie in the volume of operations or headlines generated, but in whether these early-year actions translate into sustained security gains, credible judicial outcomes and, most critically, restored public confidence.
Haroon Aremu Abiodun, an Intelligence Analyst, wrote in via: [email protected]
