Who will watch the watchdogs? Nigeria's law enforcement agencies and the fight against white collar crime

Nigeria has a robust legal, regulatory and institutional framework to combat white collar crime. However, following the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s report of the recovery of 152 billion naira ($366 million), $386 million, £1.1 million,and digital currencies valued in excess of $750 million in recent times, it appears that these crimes continue to increase in Nigeria, with convictions taking several years to secure (for further details please see “A long road to convictions for white collar crimes in Nigeria” and “The struggle to investigate and prosecute crimes continues“).

Transparency International’s 2021 corruption perception index ranked Nigeria as the second most corrupt country in West Africa, with a score of 24 out of 100 points – one point less than in 2020.

The pertinent question, therefore, is “why is the system not effective in tackling white collar crime?”. There are several reasons, which range from political interference and a weak judicial system to lack of accountability and poor remuneration. One major reason, however, is the corruption of law enforcement agents, as portrayed in the following two cases.

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