THREE YEARS OF NUHU RIBADU AS NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER

On June 19, 2023, President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as Special Adviser on Security. On Monday, June 26, 2023, he formally assumed office as Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA), a position he holds to this day. National security is a complex, sensitive and enormously important national responsibility. It is not a position given to just anyone, regardless of how close the person may be to the President. The National Security Adviser sits at the centre of the coordination of Nigeria’s security and intelligence architecture. The office requires experience, discretion, strategic thinking, patriotism and, above all, the ability to bring different security institutions together in pursuit of a common national objective.

For over three years, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu has performed these duties diligently and largely without unnecessary noise. In fact, Ribadu appears to “eat like an ant but work like an elephant”. He speaks less about what he does and allows the results to speak for themselves.

He inherited a complicated security environment: terrorism and insurgency in the North-East, banditry and mass kidnappings in the North-West, communal conflicts, oil theft, organised crime, separatist violence and other emerging threats. Nigeria was also confronted by growing instability across the Sahel, making its security challenges increasingly transnational.

Yet, despite these inherited difficulties, the figures and developments emerging from Nigeria’s security operations tell an important story.

Well over 13,000 terrorists, bandits and associated criminals have reportedly been neutralised, with thousands more arrested and large quantities of weapons and ammunition recovered. Among the notable terrorist and bandit commanders taken out of circulation were Kachalla Halilu Sububu, also known as Halilu Buzu; Boderi Isyaku, linked to major kidnappings and the Nigerian Defence Academy attack; Buharin Yadi; “Dangote”; Alti, popularly called the “TikTok bandit”; and several other Kachalla commanders.

The results have not been limited to eliminating foot soldiers. Nigeria’s security forces have increasingly targeted the leadership, financing, logistics and operational networks sustaining terrorist organisations.

In May 2026, a joint Nigeria–United States counterterrorism operation in the Lake Chad Basin neutralised Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, also known as Abu-Mainok, described as a senior ISIS figure, alongside several lieutenants. The 2025 arrests of senior Ansaru leaders, including Mahmud Muhammad Usman, described as the group’s “Emir,” and his deputy, equally represented a major intelligence breakthrough and attracted international commendation.

Thousands of Nigerians have also been rescued from captivity. Reported figures put rescued abductees at over 11,000. High-profile operations have involved schoolchildren and students abducted from three schools in the Oriire area of Oyo State, Kuriga, Federal University Gusau, medical students from the University of Maiduguri and University of Jos, students in Kogi, as well as hundreds of civilians rescued throughout the country.

Beyond battlefield victories, another development has been the surrender of insurgents and their family members. Cumulative figures frequently cited exceed 100,000, with thousands of weapons reportedly surrendered and eligible individuals passing through deradicalisation, rehabilitation and reintegration programmes.

One important aspect of the Ribadu approach has been collaboration. Modern security threats cannot be defeated by one institution working alone. Intelligence agencies, the Armed Forces, Police, civil defence and other security institutions must exchange intelligence and operate as components of one national security system rather than isolated organisations. This coordinated pressure has produced noticeable improvements across several theatres.

  Zayyad I. Muhammad, Abuja