President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has demanded an immediate halt to the ongoing violence in some parts of the country.
At a meeting with the country’s heads of security and intelligence agencies at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Wednesday, the president told the security chiefs that “enough is enough.”
The meeting was attended by the National Security Adviser (NSA) Malam Nuhu Ribadu; Director-General National Intelligence Agency (NIA) Mohammed Mohammed; Chief of Defence Intelligence Major-General Emmanuel Undianeye, Director-General State Security Service (SSS) Oluwatosin Ajayi and Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila.
Addressing State House correspondents after the meeting, the NSA said President Tinubu gave the security chiefs several hours to brief him on the current situation.
He said discussions were “very detailed, exhaustive, and complete — from A to Z.”
Ribadu further said the president had been consistently engaged with developments in the country, even while he was abroad.
“He was constantly in touch, giving directives, following developments. This time, we were able to sit with him for hours and gave a proper briefing. We also took new instructions from him,” he said.
The NSA said President Tinubu expressed deep concern over the ongoing insecurity, particularly in Plateau, Benue, and Niger states, as well as in Borno.
He said the president directed that the security apparatus must now fully engage with political authorities and grassroots structures in affected communities.
“Insecurity is not only a government problem,” Ribadu said, adding “It also involves the subnational units — the communities, local governments, and especially the governors. The president directed that we work more closely with them.”
He said security agencies had already acted on earlier instructions from the president by visiting flashpoints, meeting with state leaders, and gathering feedback on local challenges.
“Some of these problems are community-related. While not entirely so, that element plays a significant role,” he said.
Speaking on the security situation, the NSA acknowledged ongoing efforts by the armed forces, police and intelligence community across various regions.
He said operations are running “24 hours a day,” and praised the dedication of personnel who, he said, “do not sleep, take no holidays, and sacrifice daily to keep the country safe.”
On Borno state, where recent months had seen an uptick in violence, the NSA attributed the resurgence to insurgents planting IEDs and carrying out opportunistic attacks following periods of relative peace.
“This enemy does not give up easily. When there’s peace for a long time, they try to shock the public with an isolated incident,” he said.
The NSA admitted that the country was not yet at 100% security, but insisted that Nigeria is on the right course. “Security is relative. You compare what it was before and what it is now. There has been significant improvement.
“We don’t downplay any loss of life, but things have changed for the better, and we are committed to sustaining that progress,” he said.
While stressing President Tinubu’s resolve to achieving peace, Ribadu said: “Mr. President is working hard to ensure that Nigeria enjoys peace and stability. We are not relenting. We will not stop until we get the results he demands.”