The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has announced a significant improvement in Nigeria’s security and anti-corruption performance indicators for October 2025, showing a 12 percent decline in violent-crime fatalities and over ₦566 billion recovered from corruption proceeds within two years.
The announcement came during the October edition of the Joint Security Press Briefing (JSPB) a monthly inter-agency platform coordinated by the NOA to promote transparency, public trust, and citizen engagement on national security, law enforcement, and governance issues.
Speaking at the session in Abuja, the Director-General of the NOA, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, said the latest data reflected the effectiveness of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s “whole-of-government” approach to security and governance, which prioritized intelligence coordination, operational synergy, and civic communication.
Issa-Onilu disclosed that arrests of major suspects rose from 42 in September to 56 in October, while 27 abducted victims were successfully rescued, compared to 19 the previous month. Terror-linked arrests increased by 33 percent, supported by enhanced intelligence sharing among the military, police, DSS, and immigration services.
He added that fatalities from violent crimes dropped from 210 in September to 185 in October, marking a 12 percent decline, while several arms caches were intercepted in the North-West and South-East. Seven cross-border interventions were also recorded during the period, up from four in the preceding month, underscoring stronger regional collaboration.
On anti-corruption, Issa-Onilu said the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) received 44 petitions, concluded 15 investigations, and secured two convictions in October, recovering ₦840 million and $919,000. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), under Chairman Ola Olukoyede, has, within two years, recovered more than ₦566.3 billion and $411.6 million, with 1,502 properties forfeited to the Federal Government.
He explained that part of the recovered assets about ₦100 billion has been channelled into the Students Loan Scheme and Consumer Credit Scheme, in line with the Renewed Hope Accountability framework aimed at converting recovered public funds into national development resources.
Issa-Onilu also cited notable achievements by other security and enforcement agencies. He said the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) dismantled major drug syndicates and secured 251 convictions; the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) seized over 70 containers of counterfeit goods in Lagos and Onitsha; the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) rescued 76 victims of human trafficking; while the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) recorded an 11 percent drop in road fatalities following intensified “Ember Months” campaigns.
The NOA Chief further disclosed that the agency’s civic-awareness campaigns reached about 32 million Nigerians through traditional and digital media between August and October a 28 percent increase from the previous month. Community partnerships also expanded from 1,050 to 1,460 nationwide, while fact-checking interventions grew by 40 percent, resulting in a measurable reduction in misinformation and fake news circulation.
“Trust is Nigeria’s strongest security asset,” Issa-Onilu said, stressed that credible information and civic vigilance remain central to sustaining peace and public confidence.
He described October’s performance as proof that Nigeria’s integrated communication and enforcement architecture is beginning to yield measurable dividends in national stability, transparency, and citizen engagement.
“Together we build trust. Together we build peace. Together we build Nigeria,” Issa-Onilu concluded.
Established in 2024 as part of the Federal Government’s information coordination reforms, the JSPB serves as a unified communication channel through which the security, defence, and intelligence community regularly brief the public on progress, challenges, and policy direction. It brings together spokespersons and senior representatives from the armed forces, police, Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), and other strategic agencies to ensure coherence, accuracy, and accountability in national security communication.
