Former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (Rtd.), has criticised the lack of coordination among Nigeria’s security agencies, warning that institutional rivalries and poor intelligence sharing are undermining efforts to tackle the country’s growing security threats.
Speaking on Tuesday, July 28, at the First Daily 6th Anniversary Annual Public Lecture in Abuja, Irabor said the military, police, Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Customs Service, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and other security institutions too often operate in isolation despite their complementary roles in the country’s security architecture.
According to him, each agency gathers intelligence, tracks emerging threats and manages critical resources, but the information is rarely shared in ways that allow for timely and coordinated responses.
“Our security agencies too often operate in silos,” he said. “The military, the police, the DSS, Customs, the EFCC, and other security institutions all have distinct roles within Nigeria’s security architecture.
“Each gathers intelligence, monitors emerging threats, and manages critical resources. Yet, too often, that intelligence is not shared in ways that enable timely and coordinated action.”
Drawing from his experience as Nigeria’s former Chief of Defence Staff, Irabor said the country’s security institutions must move beyond competition and embrace stronger inter-agency collaboration.
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“I say this from a privileged standpoint,” he said. “Rather than fostering operational cooperation, institutional rivalries and jurisdictional constraints frequently hinder collaboration.”
He warned that criminal groups exploit gaps between security agencies, making it imperative for government institutions to work as a unified force.
“The criminal networks we are confronting do not respect institutional boundaries,” Irabor said. “Our response must not be limited by them either.”
The retired general called for a more integrated approach to intelligence gathering, information sharing and joint operations, arguing that effective collaboration among security agencies is essential to improving Nigeria’s response to terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other forms of organised crime.
Nigeria’s security architecture comprises multiple agencies with overlapping responsibilities in intelligence gathering, law enforcement, border security and financial crime investigations.
Analysts have long identified weak inter-agency coordination, poor intelligence sharing and institutional rivalry as major obstacles to effective responses to the country’s evolving security challenges.