The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shuaibu, arrived in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, on Saturday as the military steps up efforts to rescue abducted Nigerians following President Bola Tinubu’s directive to security agencies to intensify operations against kidnappers, terrorists and bandits.
Shuaibu arrived at approximately 11 am at the headquarters of the Northeast Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, located at Maimalari Cantonment in Maiduguri.
His visit followed a presidential order directing security chiefs to strengthen ongoing operations and secure the release of all abducted persons across the country.
The Army chief’s arrival came two days after the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, announced that Tinubu had instructed security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue kidnapping victims and dismantle terrorist and bandit camps nationwide.
Musa disclosed the presidential directive on October 15 after a security meeting chaired by Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. He said the President had charged security chiefs to ensure that every abducted Nigerian was rescued, irrespective of the location where the victims were being held.
“The directive from the President is: all of us must go all out to fish out and rescue all those that have been abducted, kidnapped, wherever they are,” Musa said.
The defence minister further revealed that the President had directed security agencies to eliminate terrorist and bandit camps across the country, stressing the need to deny criminal groups safe havens.
He added that Tinubu had also instructed service chiefs and other security officials to guarantee a secure environment for Nigerians ahead of the elections scheduled for January.
Meanwhile, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, has cautioned that military action alone would not be sufficient to defeat banditry, advocating a broader security strategy centred on intelligence-sharing, stronger border management and active participation by local communities.
Ribadu made the remarks through the Director of Legal Services in the Office of the National Security Adviser, Zakari Mijinyawa, at a brainstorming session on addressing banditry held in Sokoto on Saturday. The event was organised by the Sokoto Advancement Forum in partnership with the Centre for Peace Studies at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.
According to the NSA, banditry has evolved beyond conventional criminal activities such as cattle rustling, highway robbery and kidnapping. He said armed groups were increasingly asserting control over territories, imposing illegal levies on rural residents and interfering with economic activities.
Ribadu attributed part of the security challenge in Sokoto to its proximity to the Niger Republic and the wider Sahel region, explaining that the geographical connection had given banditry a cross-border dimension. He noted that criminal groups continued to exploit porous borders and weaknesses in security arrangements to sustain their activities.
To address the situation, he called for intelligence-driven military operations, stronger regional collaboration, improved border surveillance and sustained action to cut off the supply of illegal firearms and other logistical resources used by criminal networks.
The NSA also emphasised the importance of tackling the socioeconomic challenges that make young people vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups. He said individuals who qualified and demonstrated a genuine willingness to renounce violence could be considered for lawful rehabilitation programmes.
However, Ribadu warned that rehabilitation and reintegration initiatives must not shield perpetrators from accountability or be interpreted as a reward for criminal conduct.
“Reintegration must never replace justice or reward violence,” he said.
Ribadu outlined five key priorities for improving security in Sokoto State: denying armed groups access to safe havens, strengthening intelligence and early-warning mechanisms, building public trust, safeguarding agriculture and rural livelihoods, and preventing young people from joining criminal networks.
He further urged security agencies to improve operational coordination and information exchange, stressing that public cooperation would increase when residents were confident that authorities would act on intelligence reports and protect the confidentiality of those providing information.
The NSA specifically named Sabon Birni, Isa, Tangaza and Goronyo as areas requiring stronger early-warning systems. He said information about suspicious movements and emerging security threats must reach the relevant authorities quickly enough to facilitate timely intervention.
Ribadu also warned that prolonged insecurity was undermining farming, commercial activities and children’s access to education, with potentially severe consequences for food production and the wider economy.
He argued that the effectiveness of security operations should not be measured solely by the number of arrests made, weapons recovered or territories cleared. Instead, authorities should also consider whether displaced residents could return to their communities and rebuild their livelihoods.
“Success must also mean safer communities, returning families, productive farms, reopened schools, functioning markets and the restoration of public confidence,” he said.
Earlier at the event, the Chairman of the Sokoto Advancement Forum, Professor Muhammad Ahmad Wali, revealed that security incidents had been reported in 21 of the state’s 23 local government areas, underscoring the widespread nature of the crisis.
Wali also disclosed that more than 1,100 people were reportedly kidnapped across Sokoto State during the 12-month period ending in June 2026.
He described the persistent insecurity as a serious threat not only to the lives and livelihoods of residents but also to the authority of government. He called for more effective intelligence gathering, tighter border controls, prompt administration of justice, stronger community involvement and expanded economic opportunities for young people as part of efforts to tackle the crisis.
