REWRITING NIGERIA’S SECURITY PLAYBOOK

The Oyo successful rescue is a triumph of intelligence and interagency cooperation, reckons

 YAKUBU DATI

The successful rescue of abducted pupils and teachers in Oyo State is not merely another success story of freed abductees, neither is it a tale of high calibre negotiations. 

 The way it was achieved goes to show that a more effective, well thought out and sound strategy has been worked out and the security of citizens has been enhanced.

It is a powerful confirmation of a paradigm shift in the security template that is increasingly distinguishing the Tinubu administration as clearheaded in addressing one of Nigeria’s most pressing challenges.

For years, Nigerians have been made to become accustomed to a troubling pattern where criminals strike, security agencies react by deploying personnel; and government officials for want of what to do, struggle to reassure a frightened public with carefully worded press statements.

The result has been a perception—fair or unfair—that the state is perpetually on the back foot while kidnappers, terrorists, and bandits dictate the pace of engagement.

This is where the Oyo rescue operation presents a different picture.

As the abductees reunite with family members, it is now glaring that the circumstances that led to their release did not follow the weather-beaten pattern. It is a study in collaborative and interagency cooperation which details may not be disclosed here due to security reasons.

Unlike previous eras when institutional rivalries, fragmented intelligence, and poor coordination often undermine security efforts, the current security architecture appears to be placing greater emphasis on intelligence gathering, inter-agency collaboration, and proactive operational planning. 

The successful recovery of the pupils and teachers without loss of innocent lives only proves one thing: that this approach is beginning to produce measurable outcomes.

This achievement did not happen by accident, but through thorough research and brainstorming which reflects the type of intentional leadership style of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and strategic coordination by the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.

Since assuming office, President Tinubu has resisted the temptation of ensuring security through media optics and dramatic pronouncements. Instead, his administration has focused on strengthening the institutions responsible for protecting Nigerians. 

While critics continue to point at cases of security challenges, a more objective assessment should however acknowledge the growing number of successful interventions taking place across the country.

The reality is that no administration inherited a more complex security environment than the current one. Banditry, terrorism, kidnapping-for-ransom, farmer-herder conflicts, and transnational criminal networks had evolved into deeply entrenched threats. 

Dismantling such networks requires more than political speeches; it requires strategic coordination, intelligence superiority, and operational patience.

This is where Ribadu’s role has become increasingly significant.

Unlike previous periods when agencies often operated in silos, the NSA has pursued a model built on synergy and unified action. Intelligence agencies, military formations, law enforcement bodies, and other security institutions are increasingly being encouraged to operate as components of a single national security framework rather than as isolated entities competing for relevance.

The Oyo operation demonstrates the value of this philosophy. It confirms that intelligence-led security operations are more effective than purely force-based responses. It also reinforces the argument that modern security challenges require coordination rather than institutional competition.

The Department of State Services (DSS) and other security personnel involved deserve immense credit. Their professionalism and courage in the recent case, translated intelligence into action and action into results. Yet beyond the commendation of individual operatives lies a broader lesson: effective leadership.

For too long, public discourse on security has focused almost exclusively on failures while overlooking successes that reveal important shifts in capacity and strategy. Recognizing genuine achievements does not amount to propaganda; it is an acknowledgment of progress and a call to consolidate gains.

The rescue of the Oyo pupils and teachers should therefore be viewed as more than a tactical victory. It is a strategic signal that Nigeria’s security institutions are becoming more coordinated, more intelligence-driven, and more capable of protecting citizens.

While nobody should pretend that insecurity has been defeated, Nigerians can legitimately take encouragement from operations such as this. Every busted attempt is a sign of progress, every rescued child weakens the narrative of state helplessness while every fleeing criminal is a signal that the state is winning. Similarly, every successful operation restores public confidence and every disrupted criminal enterprise reduces such tendencies.

The significance of the Oyo rescue is therefore clear: it presents a glimpse of what is possible when political will is matched with effective coordination.

This is what President Tinubu and NSA Ribadu have done. If sustained and expanded, this model could become one of the most consequential security reforms in Nigeria’s democratic history—and a defining legacy of the current administration.

Dati is a former Commissioner for Information in Plateau State