National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu has said that the ‘sit-at-home’ order enforced in the South-East by separatist groups is fast losing its grip, with security conditions in the region showing marked improvements.
Speaking at the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Summit in Abuja on Thursday, where the Federal Government presented its two-year scorecard, Ribadu gave an account of progress made under President Bola Tinubu’s administration across key security flashpoints in the country.
Ribadu noted that key figures of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), have either been captured or neutralised, significantly weakening the separatist campaign.
“The ‘sit-at-home’ orders are becoming more and more ineffective,” he declared, adding that attacks on security personnel in the region have significantly reduced.
He revealed that more than 50 police stations and posts have been rebuilt as normal social and economic activities gradually return across the South-East.
In the North-West, Ribadu described the past year as a “watershed” in the fight against armed banditry.
According to him, 11,250 hostages have been rescued since President Tinubu assumed office, a development that reflects a decline in mass abductions.
“We have delivered decisive blows to top warlords,” Ribadu said, naming notorious figures such as Ali Kachalla, Boderi, Halilu Sububu, Dangote, Isuhu Yellow, and Damuna among those eliminated.
He said, “More than 50 leaders known as ‘Kachalas,’ over 70 deputy commanders, and hundreds of foot soldiers have been neutralised in targeted operations. Furthermore, over 35 warlords have surrendered as part of the government’s non-kinetic strategy, dubbed the ‘Kaduna Model’.
He added that a new process, Operation Safe Corridor North West, has been introduced to support deradicalisation and reintegration.