The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, says the administration of President Bola Tinubu, has remained firm in surmounting the inherited intractable security challenges.
By Ogbaje Sumaila
The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, says the administration of President Bola Tinubu, has remained firm in surmounting the inherited intractable security challenges.
Ribadu stated this on Friday night at the 50th anniversary celebration of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) 18 Regular Course held in Abuja.
He delivered a lecture titled “Veterans As Significant National Assets”.
He said that Nigeria had stood at a dangerous crossroads in 2022, grappling with multiple crises that threatened its unity, stability, and future.
He said the challenges range from the insurgency-ravaged North East to the blood-soaked valleys of the North West, from the turbulent Niger Delta to separatist tensions in the South East.
According to him, the government has made bold strides in restoring security and rebuilding national confidence.
“When this administration took office in May 2023, Nigeria was facing five intractable security challenges.
“We have Boko Haram insurgency in the North East, deadly banditry across the North West and North Central, resurgent separatist violence in the South East, large-scale oil theft in the Niger Delta, and communal clashes that had claimed thousands of lives.
“Additionally, porous borders, transnational crime, and climate-induced resource conflicts created a near-perfect storm of instability.
“The government’s counterinsurgency campaign has led to over 13,500 terrorists and criminals neutralised, and more than 124,000 Boko Haram/ISWAP fighters and their families have surrendered.
“Weapons caches and thousands of rounds of ammunition have been recovered.
“Areas once held by insurgents in the Sambisa Forest, Lake Chad Basin, and Timbuktu Triangle are now under government control,” he said.
NSA said the North West, which had been ravaged by bandits was witnessing changes, adding that over 11,250 hostages had been rescued in Zamfara and Kaduna States alone.
He added that notorious warlords such as Ali Kachalla, Halilu Sububu, and Dogo Bwari had been neutralised, adding that more than 50 criminal leaders and dozens of deputies had been taken out of circulation.