Nuhu Ribadu

Nuhu Ribadu is a Nigerian public official and lawyer who has served as National Security Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu since June 2023. He is also known for leading the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission as its first executive chairman and for subsequent roles in electoral politics and public-sector accountability.

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About Nuhu Ribadu

Profile information current to 2026-08-22.

Nigeria · National Security Adviser, Lawyer, Former police officer and prosecutor

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Also known as: Nuhu Ahmed Ribadu, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu
Known for: National security coordination; Anti-corruption enforcement; Public-sector accountability and petroleum-revenue reform
Country: Nigeria

National Security Adviser
Lawyer
Former police officer and prosecutor

At a glance

Ribadu has served as Nigeria's National Security Adviser under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu since June 2023.
He was the first executive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, serving from 2003 until 2007.
He contested Nigeria's 2011 presidential election as the Action Congress of Nigeria candidate and received 2,079,151 votes, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
In 2012, he chaired the Petroleum Revenue Special Task Force, which examined accountability in Nigeria's petroleum-revenue system.

Legal education and early public service

Born on 21 November 1960, Ribadu received a Bachelor of Laws degree from Ahmadu Bello University in 1983 and graduated from the Nigerian Law School in 1984. He worked as a government prosecutor from 1985 to 2003, before moving into national prominence through anti-corruption enforcement.

Leadership of the EFCC

President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed Ribadu as the first executive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in April 2003, and he led the agency until 2007. Assessments of that tenure differ: the World Bank recognized him with a public-service award in 2008, while Human Rights Watch later concluded that political selectivity and limited results in high-profile prosecutions weakened the commission's record.

Electoral politics and public accountability

Ribadu entered national electoral politics as the Action Congress of Nigeria presidential candidate in 2011, receiving 2,079,151 votes according to official statistics. In 2012, he chaired the Petroleum Revenue Special Task Force inaugurated by the Minister of Petroleum Resources.

National Security Adviser

Ribadu was appointed National Security Adviser by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in June 2023. Official material describes the office as advising the president on security matters and coordinating Nigeria's security and intelligence agencies; government and National Counter Terrorism Centre sources continued to identify Ribadu in the role in 2026.

Timeline

1983 Received a Bachelor of Laws degree from Ahmadu Bello University.
1984 Graduated from the Nigerian Law School.
2003-04 Appointed by President Olusegun Obasanjo as the first executive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
2008-04-15 Named one of three recipients of the World Bank's Jit Gill Memorial Award for Outstanding Public Service.
2011 Contested Nigeria's presidential election as the Action Congress of Nigeria candidate, receiving 2,079,151 votes according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
2012-02-28 Chaired the Petroleum Revenue Special Task Force inaugurated by the Minister of Petroleum Resources.
2023-06 Appointed National Security Adviser by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Additional verified details

Current context

The official National Counter Terrorism Centre homepage identifies Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as Nigeria's National Security Adviser. The homepage provides current-status evidence but does not specify the appointment date.
Official National Counter Terrorism Centre material published on 17 July 2026 identified Ribadu as National Security Adviser during a national organized-crime strategy validation meeting. This corroborates his status in the role rather than serving as a formal appointment notice.
The National Counter Terrorism Centre describes the National Security Adviser as advising the president on security matters and coordinating Nigerian security and intelligence agencies. This is an institutional description of the office's functions, not a complete account of Ribadu's personal remit or activities.

Biographical facts

Ribadu was born on 21 November 1960.
He received a Bachelor of Laws degree from Ahmadu Bello University in 1983 and graduated from the Nigerian Law School in 1984.
Ribadu worked as a government prosecutor from 1985 to 2003 and was briefly appointed Assistant Inspector General of Police after his EFCC tenure ended in 2007.
He was the Action Congress of Nigeria presidential candidate in the 2011 election and received 2,079,151 votes, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Connections

Affiliations

Affiliations associated with Nuhu Ribadu.

Office of the National Security Adviser, Nigeria National Security Adviser 2023-06–present
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission First executive chairman 2003-04–2007
Petroleum Revenue Special Task Force Chair 2012-02-28