President Bola Tinubu has called for a complete revamp of Nigeria’s national security strategy in response to the recent spate of killings in Borno, Benue, Plateau, and Kwara states.
The directive came during a high-level meeting with the country’s security chiefs on Wednesday at the State House in Abuja. At the meeting, the President expressed deep concern over the unrelenting violence, making it clear that urgent action was needed.
“Enough is enough,” Tinubu said, denouncing the senseless loss of innocent lives in affected regions. His remarks were contained in a statement released by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
After the closed-door meeting, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu briefed State House correspondents, disclosing that the President had instructed the security agencies to adopt a more effective and inclusive approach to addressing insecurity.
ALSO READ
“Mr President gave us the chance to come and brief him again. It lasted very long. We gave him an update on what was going on,” Ribadu said.
He also noted that even while the President was away on official engagements in Paris and London, he remained actively involved in security matters and continued to issue instructions.
“Today, we had the opportunity to come and brief him again, and it lasted hours. It was a very detailed briefing, and it was exhaustive,” Ribadu explained.
“We listened, and we took instructions from him. He gave us new directives. The fact is that Mr President is insisting that we work harder to restore security in the country.”
Ribadu added that the team had carried out earlier instructions by visiting trouble spots, including Plateau, Benue, and Borno states, to engage with local authorities.
“We gave him feedback because he had directed us earlier to go and meet with the political authorities there,” he said.
During the meeting, the President emphasized the importance of strengthening collaboration between federal and local authorities to effectively tackle insecurity at the grassroots level.
“The issue of insecurity often is not just at the higher levels. It involves the subunits. They are the ones who are directly with the people, especially when some of the challenges border on community problems,” Ribadu noted.
He further stressed, “We need to work with the communities. We need to work with the local governments, and we need to work with the governors. The President directed that we work more with governors.”
Ribadu concluded by reiterating the President’s determination to restore peace across the country: “He said, ‘Enough is enough’. We are working to ensure that we restore peace and security. We were all at the meeting with the President, armed forces, police, and intelligence community.”
