Mr. Mukhtar Halilu Moddibo, Executive Director, Connected Development, welcomed the recent 72-year prison sentence for the former acting Accountant-General convicted of corruption.
“This judgment sends a strong message that accountability is possible,” Moddibo said on Channels Television.
Despite the progress, he warned that the broader corruption crisis remains. “Corruption in Nigeria continues to worsen, with many cases involving huge sums of public funds,” he said.
Moddibo criticized systemic weaknesses that let many offenders escape justice. “While some are prosecuted and convicted, others involved in similar or larger cases often go free, which undermines public trust,” he added.
He also highlighted the frequent use of plea bargains. “These often encourage corruption instead of deterring it. Legal and institutional gaps allow offenders to get lighter punishments despite serious crimes,” he noted.
Moddibo called for urgent reforms to strengthen Nigeria’s anti-corruption system. He urged authorities to establish a consistent, transparent, and effective framework that holds all offenders accountable.
“Without serious reforms, the fight against corruption may continue to yield limited results while the problem deepens,” he concluded.
