Killings: Tinubu orders security deployment to troubled States

President Bola Tinubu has ordered a full security outreach to the states of Plateau, Benue, and Borno following the recent wave of killings and bomb attacks that have claimed dozens of lives.

The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, disclosed this after a four-hour security meeting with the president at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja on Wednesday.

Speaking with journalists, Ribadu revealed that President Tinubu gave new instructions to engage directly with state authorities in the affected areas.

He confirmed that security chiefs had already visited these states in line with the president’s directive and returned with updates.

“We listened and took instructions from him. He insisted that enough is enough. The president is working tirelessly to restore peace and stability,” Ribadu stated.

Present at the meeting were the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Mohammed Mohammed; Chief of Defence Intelligence, Gen. Emmanuel Undianeye; Director-General of the Department of State Services, Oluwatosin Ajayi; and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.

In Plateau State, at least 51 people were killed in Zikke village, Bassa Local Government Area, on April 14 after gunmen stormed the community. In Benue, 56 people lost their lives in coordinated attacks on Logo and Gbagir communities, reportedly carried out by armed herders. Meanwhile, in Borno State, eight passengers were killed and many injured after a bomb exploded along the Damboa–Maiduguri highway on April 12.

Ribadu assured that security agencies are working round the clock and expressed satisfaction with the president’s directives, noting that collaboration with state and local authorities remains key in resolving these issues.

Meanwhile, Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Olufemi Oluyede has given troops one month to flush out bandits terrorising parts of Kwara and Niger states. He gave this order on Wednesday while addressing soldiers at the 22 Armoured Brigade in Ilorin, warning that the Nigerian Army would not allow insurgency to spread from the North-East to the North-Central region.

Oluyede listed Baruten and Kaiama Local Government Areas in Kwara and parts of Borgu in Kainji Forest, Niger State, as the targeted regions. He promised improvements in troop welfare, including better feeding, uniforms, and opportunities for professional growth.

Reacting to the growing insecurity, the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) questioned the commitment of both federal and state governments. The Speakers, through their chairman, Adebo Ogundoyin, called for decisive actions beyond mere condemnation and pointed out the urgent need for community policing and grassroots security structures.

PFN President Bishop Wale Oke criticised the federal government’s handling of the crisis, describing the killings in Benue and other states as “intolerable.” He urged President Tinubu to take decisive action, saying Nigerians voted for a Commander-in-Chief, not a Mourner-in-Chief.

Oke dismissed claims that the killings were carried out by foreigners, insisting that authorities know those responsible but lack the political will to act. He also faulted the National Security Adviser’s statement blaming past administrations, arguing that government should focus on present realities.

In addition, retired Air Vice Marshal Monday Morgan advised governors to establish Forest Guards, as previously proposed by President Tinubu, to tackle insecurity in forests and rural areas. Morgan maintained that state governments should embrace this initiative alongside the establishment of regional development commissions to pool resources for security operations.

He emphasised that the military and police alone cannot handle the scale of insecurity, pointing out that indigenous herders are now emboldened by mercenaries, worsening the country’s security situation.