Forensic Audit and Investigations in Nigeria Public Sector: A Literature Review Approach

Forensic auditing had a camera upon which several unnoticed crimes could be unveiled in most organizations. No sector could boast of not having been touched by the wave of emerging crimes that are not known to conventional crimes. The Nigerian public sector is of interest considering the waves of fraud, mismanagement, and abuse of power office that have resulted in the misuse of public funds and which ordinarily would have been exposed using the expertise of forensic investigations auditing and investigations. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) under the watch of a former minister was investigated for misappropriations that an ordinary audit could not reveal (Oluwafemi, 2023); the former accountant-general of the federation (Harrison, 2022); and several others. The contemporary issues around Nigerian forensic audit has been recorded majorly in the public sector with several events requiring the increasing demand for forensic auditors. This research paper discussed some of the challenges that forensics auditors and investigators face in the profession and possible strategies to overcome them. The research concluded that while forensic auditing and investigation practices have continued to evolve in Nigeria, it is not properly institutionalized as a result of a lack of regulations surrounding the practice, and no standardized methodologies or frameworks that have been tailored to the Nigerian business environment. Data analytics, big data, blockchain technology, and AI are currently discussable in the field of forensic auditing and investigation and are still a challenge to Nigerian professionals as not only does the field lack professionals, but it equally lacks the understanding and the usefulness of the use of modern technologies.