It is now crystal clear that the state of insecurity in Nigeria is what it is because President Tinubu priotised politics in the appointment of those saddled with the jobs of security. How does he explain that in a season of heightened insecurity, both the Minister of Defence and Minister of State for Defence are not former military personnel with experiences in operational and administrative aspects of military affairs. They are both former Governors of the states of Zamfara and Jigawa. One is an accountant while the other a teacher, who, as Governor, achieved little in stemming the terrorism and banditry that defined his era. This is yet another confirmation of the trial and error model of the Tinubu-led administration.
Pressure Mounts On Tinubu To Sack Matawalle As U.S. Insists On Defence Ministers’ Removal Before Security Collaboration
There is growing pressure on President Bola Tinubu to also remove Bello Matawalle as Minister of State for Defence following the ‘resignation’ of Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar as Minister of Defence.
SaharaReporters learned that the United States requested the removal of both Badaru Abubakar and Matawalle before it would engage in any collaboration with Nigeria on combating terrorism and banditry.
“There is pressure on Tinubu to remove Matawalle as well,” a top government source said. “We were told the US insisted that Badaru and Matawalle be replaced before any cooperation with Nigeria could proceed.”
Earlier on Monday evening, SaharaReporters reported that Badaru Abubakar resigned as Nigeria’s Defence Minister and is set to be replaced by former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, according to top government sources.
Musa met with President Bola Tinubu at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja earlier on Monday. This marked his first public meeting with the President since Tinubu retired him on October 24, 2025.
Sources told SaharaReporters that during the meeting, President Tinubu informed Musa that he would “succeed Badaru as Defence Minister”.
In a letter dated December 1, sent to President Bola Tinubu, Abubakar said he was quitting on health grounds, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said in a statement on Monday.
“President Tinubu has accepted the resignation and thanked Abubakar for his services to the nation,” the statement said.
“President Tinubu will likely inform the Senate of Badaru's successor later this week.”
Badaru Abubakar, 63, was a two-term governor of Jigawa state from 2015 to 2023. He was appointed as a minister on August 21, 2023, by President Tinubu.
Recently, Nigeria was redesignated by the U.S. as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ (CPC) over allegations of widespread Christian persecution.
In response, Nigeria dispatched a high-level delegation led by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu to Washington, where both sides agreed to collaborate through joint mechanisms to address insecurity and religious freedom concerns.
The designation was based on claims of “particularly severe violations of religious freedom”, with US officials and advocacy groups alleging mass killings of Christians by extremist groups such as Boko Haram and ISWAP.
Advocacy coalitions argued that Nigeria records more Christian deaths due to targeted violence than any other country combined, framing the situation as a form of genocide.
The move reignited tensions, as Nigeria had previously been placed on the CPC list in 2020 but removed in 2021. Nigerian officials, including President Bola Tinubu, rejected the genocide characterization, insisting it misrepresented Nigeria’s reality.
The Sultan of Sokoto and Chairman of the Northern Traditional Rulers Council, His Eminence Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar II, has called on governors of the 19 Northern states to listen more attentively to their critics and use constructive feedback to strengthen governance across the region.
He warned that dismissing criticism could slow down efforts to address the region’s challenges, especially insecurity, poverty, and economic hardship.
Speaking on Monday at the Northern Governors Forum joint meeting with traditional rulers in Kaduna, the Sultan stressed that no leader seeking the people’s mandate would deliberately turn his back on citizens after assuming office.
The Sultan lamented that governors were often unfairly accused of inaction, despite the enormous pressures they face.
“I always feel bad when I hear that the governor doesn’t want to do anything or the president doesn’t want to do anything. No governor, no president will ask for people’s votes and, when he takes office, all he does is turn his back against the people,” he said.
He urged the governors to “listen to critics, listen to criticisms also, listen to critiques, and make amendments whenever these arise,” noting that genuine feedback can guide better decision-making.
While expressing confidence in the governors, the Sultan reminded them of the need for unity and intensified collaboration.
He praised their efforts, acknowledging that many of the recent meeting postponements were due to official engagements.
According to him, hard work and coordinated action were essential to securing the North and stabilising Nigeria.
“We are 100% with you in this drive to make the North a better place. You have our confidence, you have our trust. You can reach out to us any time of the day,” he assured the governors.
The Sultan also called for more frequent engagement between governors and traditional rulers across the geopolitical zones, proposing structured meetings to harmonize decisions affecting the North.
He further reaffirmed the traditional rulers’ commitment to supporting the governors.
“Whatever it takes to bring peace and stability to the North and to the country, we will do it. We don’t think we have any other place to run to except our place,” he added,
The insecurity spiralling out of control in Nigeria recently compelled President Bola Tinubu to direct the immediate withdrawal of the police guards of Very Important Personalities (VIPs) throughout the country. These officers are to be deployed to the now highly essential core policing duties. The president, more so, doubled down with a state of emergency declaration on security last Wednesday. A slew of steps to be taken by the police, the military, SSS, and the legislature, have been unfolded to give the emergency a bite. These appear laudable; but in diligence lies the real challenge.
Under the new plan, 50,000 persons are to be recruited into the police, while their training institutions are to be upgraded. The military will ramp up its numbers also, to put more boots on the ground, whereas newly recruited forest guards are to be deployed to flush out criminals from their various dens.
Nigeria has an estimated police personnel strength of about 371,000. Over the years, thousands of them have been deployed to guard VIPs, leaving the larger society vulnerable to different manifestations of insecurity. Earlier efforts, administration after administration, to stop this aberration, defied both presidential directives and those of Inspectors-General, which were neutered by the transactional or corrupt economics of politicians, fraudsters and the corporate elite.
The VIPs are now to draw their security details from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). President Tinubu had noted, in a release issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, penultimate week, that, “Many parts of Nigeria, especially remote areas, have few policemen at stations, thus making the task of protecting and defending the people difficult.”
But the benumbing reality is that most communities, particularly in the North, with a huge landmass, have no police presence at all, nor any trace of governance. In some place, distances of over 100 kilometres separate these communities from the state capitals. This explains why 200 people could be killed, as it happened in Yelwata in June, without rapid security response from either the police, or military.
Farm lands have been deserted. In Benue and Plateau states, and across the North-east, living in Internally Displaced Camps (IDPs) has become a normal way of life for citizens. The humanitarian crises arising thereof from food insecurity, health hazards and the lack of education for children and youths, are incalculable.
To be clear, Nigeria’s waves of anarchy did not start under Tinubu’s regime. The death toll from terrorism, banditry, kidnappings, herders and communal clashes, for instance during Muhammadu Buhari’s eight years tenure, was 63,111, as reported by the Nigeria Security Tracker (NST), a project of the US Council on Foreign Relations Africa programme.
Such horrific data should have precipitated a sense of urgency, immediately Mr Tinubu assumed office in 2023. Unfortunately, he dithered. Amnesty International claims that 10,217 persons were killed in his administration’s first two years. Therefore, the new wave of kidnappings involving 378 persons from schools in Kebbi and Niger states, in addition to a Kwara State church, were not fortuitous events. These deeply worrying incidents had been cascading, till the “Donald Trump effect” helped to ginger action.
While the new effort towards reinvigorating policing is a welcome departure from past shameful experiences, PREMIUM TIMES is highly concerned about the likelihood of its effective enforcement. A few days ago, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun announced that 11,566 officers have already been withdrawn from VIPs. There is a doubt around the figure here!
The publicly quoted number of police officers attached to VIPs is 100,000 personnel. The European Union Agency for Asylum, in its report on the numerical strength of the Nigerian Police, equally mentioned this figure on 11 November, which is attributed to independent sources. And, the IGP has never denied this. Hence, we have serious doubts about the number recently quoted by the IGP as being the totality of those attached to VIPs.
Instructively, in 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2016, 2018, 2020, police withdrawal directives from VIPs were made by Inspectors-General Tafa Balogun, Ogbonnaya Onovo, Hafiz Ringim, Mohammed Abubakar, Solomon Arase, Ibrahim Idris and Mohammed Adamu, respectively. In some cases, there were threats of the “arrest and dismissal” of officers who failed to comply.
Mr Buhari gave the same order in 2015 to deepen the maintenance of law and order. Perfunctorily executed initially, the police subsequently relapsed in its VIP protection vocation, which has been alleged to be highly financially rewarding to the institution. Oddly enough, IGP Egbetokun had issued the same directive in June 2023, and April 2025, respectively. Such elite police protection duties, he rightly posited, creates a “distortion that weakens operational effectiveness” of the police. The fact is that if his earlier directives did not end up as a farce, the president would not have had any reason to give the same order, six months after the last one.
The bandits are still on the prowl. Barely 24 hours after the kidnapped 38 Christian worshippers in Kwara State regained their freedom, 11 persons in the same area, precisely in Isapa community, were kidnapped. Five minors aged between five and 10, a pregnant woman and two nursing mothers, were among the victims. In Niger State, 24 farmers, including four pregnant women, were kidnapped last week. These heartrending incidents forced the federal authorities to shut down 41 Unity Colleges across the country. About four states in the North had earlier pressed this panic bottom.
It is a notorious fact that Nigeria, with its estimated 250 million people, and landmass of 923,768 square kilometres, has a substandard police ratio of 1:637 persons, which is far below the United Nations recommended ratio of 1:450. This is even for climes that have reasonable degrees of law and order, and are not witnessing the depth of our insecurity challenges.
It will take about three months to recruit and six months to train the proposed 50,000 new officers to make an impact on policing in the country. Certainly, this would not be the needed magic bullet. The more impactful solution would lay inmulti-layered policing, involving the state, communities and other jurisdictions, as practiced in federal systems like those of the US, Canada and Australia, etc., and including the United Kingdom, which is not even a federation but has 43 police services.
The National Assembly’s prevarication on the creation of state police is sickening. After President Tinubu has nudged it into action, and the majority of state governors have adopted the proposal, it is difficult to imagine why the parliament is still wavering on it.
A senator, Enyinnaya Abaribe’s condemnation of the lack of official decisiveness, amidst egregious mass killings and kidnappings of citizens, in a heated debate on insecurity in the parliament, is gratifying. Truth must be told to power; the senator rebuked the presidency’s double standards and tardiness in responding to the challenge. His submission, quoting a famous epigram that, “In times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act” resonates. Yet, the lawmakers, in our own assessment, are part of the problem, with their shoddy oversight of security institutions andmisplaced legislative priorities.
The country has had enough of political correctness in combating terrorism. Ignoring the SSS’ intelligence in the schoolskidnapping of 25 students in Kebbi State and similar security breaches without consequences, erode public confidence in government and negates the required synergy in this struggle. Such cha arade will always set Nigeria up for the battle of the long night.
The cleric said the government must first accept responsibility for decades of failure to protect citizens from terrorism, banditry and other violent crimes.
The Lead Pastor of the Citadel Global Community Church, Tunde Bakare, has urged President Bola Tinubu to publicly apologise to communities devastated by insecurity.
Bakare, who made the call on Sunday during his State of the Nation Address in Lagos, said the gesture would mark a commitment to justice and national healing.
The cleric acknowledged that the president had taken initial steps to address the crisis but insisted that deeper action was required to restore confidence.
He said the government must first accept responsibility for decades of failure to protect citizens from terrorism, banditry and other violent crimes.
Bakare said the plan should include a Victims and Survivors Register, a national apology to affected communities after three months, and midterm compensation, stressing that accountability is crucial to restoring public trust and ending the cycle of violence.
Ejiba, a town in Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State, came under attack by armed bandits on Sunday morning, local sources have confirmed.
Eyewitnesses told Egbe Mekun Platform, a community news outlet, that the assault occurred during a church service at a new Cherubim and Seraphim Church.
Adegboyega Oguns, who was present at the church, said congregants fled in panic as the attackers struck.
Oguns reported that the church pastor, popularly known as Orlando, his wife, and several other individuals were abducted during the raid.
“It’s a new Cherubim and Seraphim church. The pastor popularly called Orlando and wife with some others have been kidnapped,” he wrote on Egbe Mekun Parrot platform on Facebook.
“It is serious, we all ran out of church.”
The incident underscores the growing security challenges facing communities in Kogi State.
Similarly, on Saturday, a group of terrorists launched an attack along the Isanlu Makutu–Idofin corridor in the Yagba East Local Government Area of the state, leaving residents and travellers in a state of fear.
Eyewitnesses said that the attackers struck suddenly on Saturday afternoon, causing people in the area to scamper for safety.
Meanwhile, the exact number of victims abducted during the incident has not yet been confirmed, as details remain sketchy.
Local sources said the situation had heightened tension across nearby communities, with many residents staying indoors while travellers were diverting routes to avoid the troubled stretch of road.
The average for July was 1.40 million barrels per day, while June recorded 1.42 million barrels per day on average.
Nigeria’s crude oil production continued its downward trend in October, a SaharaReporters' check on the monthly report by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) shows.
The October average daily production is the lowest in seven months.
Nigeria’s crude oil output has been falling steadily since the 1.42 million barrels per day recorded in June.
According to the reviewed document, average daily production in October stood at 1.30 million barrels — a decline from the 1.38 million barrels recorded in September and the 1.37 million barrels posted in August.
The average for July was 1.40 million barrels per day, while June recorded 1.42 million barrels per day on average.
In May, the country produced 1.35 million barrels per day on average, the same figure recorded in April.
Only in March did Nigeria produce 1.29 million barrels per day — a figure lower than that recorded in October 2025.
In February, daily crude oil output averaged 1.35 million barrels, while January recorded 1.39 million barrels.
Despite these figures, Nigeria has not met its OPEC quota of 1.5 million barrels per day, based on the NNPCL data reviewed for this report.
Crude oil production has remained constrained by several factors, including sabotage, pipeline vandalism, and poor management of the oil sector. These challenges continue to hinder the country from meeting its production targets despite its capacity to produce more.
Industry experts have urged the government to intensify efforts to address these issues, warning that persistent production shortfalls could undermine Nigeria’s revenue generation and economic growth.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that Nigeria has also struggled to meet local refinery demand for crude oil.
This comes as the Federal Government disclosed that a total of 67,657,559 barrels of crude oil were supplied to local refiners for processing between January and August 2025.
The figure, confirmed by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), underscores the ongoing challenges in closing the crude allocation gap facing domestic refineries despite the country’s rising production levels.
Speaking in Abuja, the Head of Media and Strategic Communications at the NUPRC, Eniola Akinkuotu, said the crude allocation was made in line with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 and the Domestic Crude Supply Obligation policy.
"A total of 67,657,559 barrels were delivered to local refiners between January and August this year. All refiners got that amount within the eight-month period,” Akinkuotu stated.
According to a document seen by SaharaReporters and published by the NUPRC, an estimated 123.4 million barrels were projected to be required by local refineries between January and June. The daily requirement was placed at 770,500 barrels, while the monthly need was forecast at 23.8 million barrels.
With 67.7 million barrels supplied to domestic refineries between January and August, it means over 55.8 million barrels required for local consumption (based on NUPRC’s January–June estimates) were not provided. This indicates that the Nigerian government was unable to supply at least 45 percent of the crude oil required domestically.
Previously, SaharaReporters reported that Nigeria’s foreign trade statistics for the first and second quarters of 2025 showed that the country imported fuel worth N4.13 trillion between January and June 2025.
A 16-year-old boy alongside six girls have been abducted from Gidan -Bijimi in Kawu ward of Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Daily Trust reports that Gidan -Bijimi community shares boundary with neighboring Marke village around the border of Kaduna state.
A resident of Kawu, Suleiman Shuaibu, confirmed the latest kidnap to our reporter through the telephone on Thursday, morning.
He said the bandits wielding AK -47 in raided two houses in community around 9:47 pm and whisked away six young girls including a 16 year old boy amid sporadic shooting.
He said residents of the community were thrown into pandemonium.
According to him, some vigilantes in the community tried to engage the bandits but were forced to run for cover as a result of the superior fire power.
Shuaibu said the abducted girls were between the ages of 17 and 23 years.
“It was around 9:53 pm when a call came from Gidan -Bijimi community that some bandits invaded the village and abducted six young girls, unfortunately my cousin sister happened to be among the victims,” he said.
He said some residents were forced to flee their homes after the incident, even as he said contact is yet to be established with the abductors.
SP Josephine Adeh, spokeswoman of the FCT Police Command, did not respond to calls put across to her and did not also reply to text message as at the time of filling the report.
Our correspondent recalls that the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, had on Tuesday, directed that security be beefed up around Abuja, with improved surveillance at all borders with neighboring states and entry points.
Following the directive, the operation sweep of a joint military taskforce that comprised of police, Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies was deployed to different parts of the nations capital.
CP Miller G Dantawaye, the FCT police commissioner, who addressed the joints security team had charged them to create the synergy required to eliminate crimes and criminalities across the FCT.
The CP had noted that the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike who directed the operation had also provided enough logistics to ensure its success and guarantee adequate safety and security for the residents of the territory.
Several senators on Wednesday raised concerns about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive to withdraw police personnel attached to Very Important Persons (VIPs), warning that the move could expose them to grave security risks.
They raised the concerns during a debate at plenary on the escalating insecurity across the country, triggered by a motion moved by Senator Oyelola Yisa Ashiru on the need for urgent federal intervention.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently ordered the withdrawal of police officers providing security for VIPs amid escalating security challenges in the country.
He also directed police authorities to redeploy them to concentrate on their core duties, a move that mandated the Special Protection Unit of the Nigeria Police Force to order all officers attached to VIPs and beats nationwide to return to their bases.
Contributing to the debate, Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko (Sokoto North) said the withdrawal of police escorts from top government officials and other VIPs was ill-timed, given the worsening security situation across the country.
According to him, public office holders remain high-value targets for terrorists, kidnappers and other criminal gangs, making the decision potentially dangerous.
“Our lives are in danger. At a time when criminals are becoming more desperate and attacks are on the rise, withdrawing police protection from senators and other VIPs exposes us to avoidable risks. This policy needs to be reviewed,” Wamakko said.
Similarly, Senator Tahir Monguno (APC, Borno North), said withdrawing police protection from public officials at a time of heightened criminal activities would put their lives at serious risk.
He said senators and other VIPs have become prime targets for terrorists, kidnappers and armed gangs, making the directive “dangerous and poorly timed.”
“The withdrawal of security from VIPs will expose many of us to unnecessary danger. The security situation is deteriorating. Kidnappers and criminals are becoming more emboldened. Removing police protection now is like opening us up to attacks.”
Other senators echoed similar concerns, arguing that while the police reform directive may have been well-intentioned, it failed to account for the realities of Nigeria’s current security challenges.
Some lawmakers noted that many senators frequently travel to vulnerable areas within their constituencies and rely on their police security teams for safety, especially during oversight functions, community engagements and political activities.
Following the intense debate, the Senate resolved to engage the presidency and the police authorities to reconsider or adjust the withdrawal policy in line with current national security realities.
More details are expected as the Senate leadership meets with the president to formally communicate its security concerns.
In the House of Representatives, former deputy speaker, Ahmed Idris Wase (Plateau), called for a review of the directive, ordering the withdrawal of police personnel from VIPs, warning that the measure could expose public officials to heightened security risks amid rising kidnapping incidents across the country.
Speaking during a special session of the House on insecurity, Wase said while the intention behind the policy may be laudable, its implementation must be clearly categorised to avoid endangering individuals who face real and escalating threats.
He noted that criminals, including kidnappers and bandits, have increasingly targeted politicians and other public office holders, citing a recent video in which a suspected kidnapper vowed to attack political leaders.
He said many public officials, especially those residing or travelling outside Abuja, are already living under severe insecurity, stressing that the withdrawal of security aides without proper risk assessment would leave them vulnerable.
According to him, travelling on major highways has become extremely dangerous, with kidnapping occurring “virtually every day.”
He added that he personally feels unsafe travelling between Abuja and Jos after 6pm due to repeated attacks along the route.
Wase called for a review of the directive and that the categorisation of those exempted from the withdrawal is clearly defined.
Kidnappers to face death penalty
The Senate also declared that all kidnapping-related offences be classified as acts of terrorism.
It resolved that kidnappers should face the death penalty (maximum sentence) once the relevant law is amended, and that the courts should have no discretion to reduce the sentence or substitute with a fine.
The Red Chamber mandated that a formal amendment bill, to reflect these changes in the law, be drafted and presented “in the shortest possible time.”
Earlier during the debate, Senator Francis Fadahunsi (Osun East) urged the Senate to criminalise negotiations with kidnappers.
Senator Garba Maidoki (Kebbi South) said authorities know the identities and hideouts of many bandits but questioned why the military has failed to apprehend them.
Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) said kidnappers must face the stiffest penalties.
“Kidnapping must be branded a terrorist act and must carry the death penalty. Let’s look inwards and get it right,” Ningi said.
Senator Sadiq Umar (Kwara North) said Nigeria is facing an “existential threat” and all hands must be on deck to defeat terrorism.
Senate probes soldiers’ withdrawal before Kebbi abduction
The Senate also mandated its security-related committee to investigate the alleged recent security lapses, including the withdrawal of troops from a vulnerable area in Kebbi State before a school abduction and the killing of a high-ranking officer.
The Senate also directed the launch of “intelligence-driven operations,” including aerial surveillance, cross-state collaboration, and community-based intelligence systems.
The red chamber urged the establishment of a new Joint Task Force (JTF), specifically for the Kwara–Kogi corridor, with forward operating bases in areas identified as vulnerable.
The Senate resolved that its leadership would brief President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the resolutions and proposed action plan.
It also assured its commitment to follow up within one week, with reconstituted committees and security agencies required to report on actions taken so far.
Lawmakers consider review of firearms laws
Senators also considered a review of the country’s firearm laws to permit responsible citizens to own or bear ammunition.
The lawmakers adopted the proposal through a voice vote conducted by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
The proposal was one of the prayers in a motion sponsored by Oyelola Ashiru (APC, Kwara South), on the rising cases of kidnapping in the country, particularly in Niger, Kwara and Kebbi, where there were security challenges in the last two weeks.
In his motion, Mr Ashiru, who is the deputy Senate leader, complained about the terrorist attack on Christ Apostolic Church, Oke Igan, in Eruku, Kwara State, where three worshippers were killed and 38 others abducted.
States must work with federal agencies to tackle insecurity – Barau
Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, has urged state governments to intensify collaboration with federal security agencies to stem the rising insecurity across the country.
Speaking with journalists on Wednesday at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, Barau said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is “working tirelessly” to address insecurity, but stressed that his efforts must be complemented at the subnational level.
“Mr President is doing extremely well, but his efforts must be supported by all Nigerians, state governments, corporate organisations and all citizens,” he said.
“Insecurity is a collective challenge. If others come in to complement the federal government, we will overcome this problem sooner than expected.”
Barau urged states to invest in surveillance infrastructure and other security hardware that federal agencies can deploy to combat threats within their jurisdictions.
“It’s not rocket science. A state can establish facilities to monitor activities in its forests and vulnerable areas. Such support will help the military and other agencies respond faster. If every state adopts this model, we can drastically reduce insecurity in a short time,” Senator Barau said.
He commended the President for cancelling his planned trip to South Africa for the G20 Summit to focus on domestic security concerns, noting that the decision contributed to the successful rescue of abducted victims in Kebbi State.
Senator Barau also addressed the Senate’s resolutions on national security and the planned engagement with the President, saying the Senate leadership would jointly determine the tone of the communication.
“The President is a leader who listens. Whatever the Senate presents will be well received,” he said.
On state police, Barau said the debate should focus less on nomenclature and more on adequately equipping the existing Nigeria Police Force. He maintained that President Tinubu inherited an underfunded police system but has since prioritised improved funding, training and recruitment.
“It is not about the name of the outfit. What matters is training, equipment and funding. The President is already addressing these gaps,” Senator Barau added.
He also confirmed ongoing discussions on amending the Terrorism Act to classify kidnapping as a terrorist offence, describing the move as “interesting and necessary.”
Atiku to Tinubu: Nigerians Need Protection, Not Fairy Tales By Moonlight
The Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga’s comments on Arise News TV yesterday on the freedom of the Kebbi school girls is to say the least a shameful attempt to whitewash a national tragedy and dress up government incompetence as heroism.
Truth be told, the release of abducted Nigerians is not a trophy moment; it is a damning reminder that terrorists now operate freely, negotiate openly, and dictate terms while this administration issues press statements to save face.
If, as Onanuga claims, the DSS and the military could “track” the kidnappers in real time and “made contact” with them, then the question is simple: Why were these criminals not arrested, neutralised, or dismantled on the spot? Why is the government boasting about talking to terrorists instead of eliminating them?
Why is kidnapping now reduced to a routine phone call between criminals and state officials?
This irresponsible and reckless narrative exposes the truth:
Under Tinubu, terrorrist/bandits have become an alternative government — negotiating, collecting ransom, and walking away untouched — while the presidency celebrates their “compliance.”
No serious nation applauds itself for negotiating with terrorists it claims to have under surveillance. No responsible government congratulates itself for allowing abductors to walk back into the forests to kidnap again.
Onanuga and his ilk should stop insulting Nigerians with propaganda.
If the security agencies truly had eyes on the kidnappers, then letting them escape is a national disgrace that smacks of complicity.
And if they did not have such capacity, then Onanuga is simply manufacturing lies to cover up a monumental failure of leadership.
Either way, the statement is an embarrassing admission that this administration has lost control of national security and is now trying to spin incompetence into achievement.
Nigerians deserve protection, not fairy tales by moonlight!
Signed: Atiku Media Office Abuja November 26, 2025.
Fynx: Shivers all over me. I thought it was secondary school students that were kidnapped. Nursery and Primary school students? Haba. This is most horrible. No crime on earth is worse. What a re you doing with toddlers. Nigeria where is your outrage. Both the government and the kidnappers should be in for this. What nonsense. Tinubu should RESIGN
Security Personnel Know All the Bandits That Operate in That Axis; They Know Where They Operate
Presidential Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, says Nigeria’s security agencies know the identities and locations of the bandit groups responsible for recent mass abductions, including the attack on St Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, Niger State. He warned, however, that military operations are often restrained by the danger of collateral damage to civilians living around the hideouts.
Speaking during an interview with ARISE News on Monday, Onanuga said: “The security people, they know all the bandits that are operating in that axis. They know them. They know where they operate.”
But despite this intelligence capability, he said the government cannot simply bomb suspected enclaves.
“Our people are living around where they operate. So you can’t just go there,” he noted. “They need to be very careful that in the course of chasing these bandits, they don’t go and bomb innocent Nigerians.”
Onanuga referenced a past error in which the military mistakenly struck civilians: “Some years ago in Borno State, when the military thought they had the right satellite connection, they bombed the wrong people. They must avoid that kind of mistake.”
He said uncertainty persists around the exact number of abducted students because the school and the Niger State branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) have not provided complete records.
“As of now, the authorities are in the dark as to how many people are really missing,” he said. “You said students are missing — let us have their names. Let us know what we are looking for.”
Onanuga alleged that the school principal had “disappeared”, further obstructing verification. “For the security, they found it very strange that they are not cooperating. What is the agenda?” he asked.
Onanuga also explained why security forces often do not storm bandit camps immediately after abductions.
“What sometimes restrains them from going after them is the risk of collateral damage. They go about abducting our people and use them as a shield so that they will not be attacked,” he said.
He added that bandits understand the consequences of defying government pressure. “They know that if they keep those people and refuse to release them, the next thing will be for the government to embark on a kinetic action and attack their base.”
On the President’s decision to redeploy officers from VIP protection to frontline duty, Onanuga said it would significantly improve security coverage in vulnerable communities.
“I read today about 100,000 policemen guarding VIPs. If you share them out to vulnerable areas, that will make a lot of difference,” he said.
Responding to criticism from church leaders, Onanuga insisted the administration recognises the seriousness of the situation.
“This government has never denied that Nigerians are being killed. We know we have problems, but we are making efforts to ensure that we stem all these things,” he said.
He disclosed that President Bola Tinubu is expected to address Nigerians soon following security consultations. “I think he will do so very soon,”he said.
— Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga
Politics › Tinubu Priotised Politics Over Security In Appointments -Paul Ibe by ogododo(op): 11:14pm On Dec 02, 2025*. Modified: 8:42am On Dec 03, 2025
