National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has stated that the Federal Government, in collaboration with the country’s security agencies, has made significant progress in tackling the complex security issues inherited by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Ribadu explained that joint efforts by security forces have helped curb major threats, including mass killings, large-scale abductions, destruction of property, and terrorist attacks on public infrastructure.
Speaking at the APC National Summit marking the Tinubu administration’s two-year milestone, Ribadu highlighted that the government inherited five major security crises nationwide.
“To truly understand how far we’ve come, we must remember the situation prior to this administration’s start on May 29, 2023,” he said.
He recounted the severity of past attacks, such as the 2022 incidents involving the Abuja-Kaduna train, Kuje Prison, a church in Owo, and a military battalion in Bwari, Abuja.
Ribadu outlined the key inherited security challenges: Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East, armed banditry in the North-West, secessionist movements by IPOB/ESN in the South-East, unrest in the Niger Delta, and communal clashes, particularly between herders and farmers in the North Central region.
He noted that prior to 2023, Boko Haram and banditry were responsible for over 35,000 and 12,000 deaths respectively, displacing millions of Nigerians in the affected zones.
Ribadu said that through cohesive action by the security agencies, issues like the “sit-at-home” protests in the South-East and attacks on oil infrastructure in the Niger Delta have been significantly contained.
According to him, over the last two years, more than 13,543 Boko Haram fighters have been neutralized and over 11,000 weapons seized and destroyed in the fight against terrorism.