By Sunday Ani
He appointment of the pioneer chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu, as the National Security Adviser (NSA), by President Bola Tinubu came as a surprise to many, particularly those in the security sector. This is because since the return of democracy in 1999, the position has always been occupied by a retired military officer. So, many have come to believe that the office is exclusively reserved for the retired military general.
But, the narrative changed when President Tinubu refused to toe the line and instead went for a retired police officer. And his decision has paid off. In just 100 days in office, Ribadu has left nobody in doubt as to the direction of the war against terrorism, banditry and sundry crimes that have bedeviled the nation over the past 10 years. He has completely changed the approach of the war against insecurity and the results are there for all to see.
Within 100 days in office, a total of 4,560 terrorists and their families have surrendered to troops prosecuting the war against them in the North-East. The troops also recovered 501 weapons, 3,577 livestock, 3,269 assorted ammunition, and 674 other equipment within the period. In the North-East, the troops of Operation HADIN KAI have also neutralised about 240 terrorists, arrested 276 terrorists and their collaborators, rescued 147 kidnapped hostages, and forced 4,560 combatant fighters to surrender alongside their families. They have equally recovered 169 assorted weapons, 1,195 assorted ammunitions and 199 other equipment, comprising 57 AK47 rifles, one GPMG, 2 HK21 rifles, one FN rifle, one G3 rifle, one pistol, 22 dane guns, one double barrel, 73 AK47 magazines and three hand grenades. Also recovered were two LMG magazines, one RPG tube, two teargas launchers, 674 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 500 rounds of 7.62mm x 54mm, 20 PKM rounds, one cartridge, two vehicles, 29 motorcycles, 47 bicycles, 18 mobile phones, 13 steering rod and pumps, five gearboxes and four baofeng radios and 158 livestock.
In the North Central, troops of Operation Safe Haven have also neutralised 94 terrorists, arrested 477 suspects, rescued 76 kidnapped hostages, and recovered 82 assorted weapons, and 760 assorted ammunition. The breakdown includes 20 AK47 rifles, five revolvers, 27 fabricated rifles, six fabricated pistols, 13 dane guns, five pistols, two pump actions, six AK47 magazines, 523 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 190 rounds of 5.5mm ammo, 31 rounds 9mm ammo, 18 cartridges and 1,722 livestock.
In the same vein, troops of Operation Whirl Stroke have also neutralised 83 terrorists, arrested 104 suspects, and rescued 18 kidnapped hostages. They have also recovered 37 weapons, 68 assorted ammunitions and 127 items, two AK47 rifles, one FN rifle, five locally fabricated pistols, two dane guns, one pistol, 15 AK47 magazines, two G3 magazines, two FN magazines, one GPMG barrel, one Ak47 barrels, three rifle butts and one locally fabricated bullet. They have equally recovered four woodland camouflage, 15 motorcycles, nine mobile phones, six vehicles, five cutlasses, two pairs of black boots, one fragmental jacket, one generator set, three knives, two machetes and one saw and metal.
In the North-West, troops of Operation Hadarin Daji are also creating serious impact as they have neutralised 248 terrorists, arrested 116 suspected terrorists, rescued 359 kidnapped, recovered a total of 67 assorted weapons, 926 assorted ammunition and 160 other incriminating items.
However, Ribadu’s miracle is not only restricted to the fight against terrorists and bandits, he is also hitting hard on the oil thieves in the Niger Delta region, where troops of Operation Delta Safe are recording unprecedented successes. Troops of the Operation Delta Safe operating in the South South have neutralised 69 combatants, arrested 191 collaborators of oil theft, and rescued 12 kidnapped hostages. They also intercepted 6.6 million litres of stolen crude oil, 3.5 million litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), 188,650 kerosene and 65,600 litres of petrol. They equally discovered and destroyed 249 boats, 28 pumping machines, and three vessels, as well as recovered a total of 51 assorted weapons.
In the South-East, the story is not different. The troops of Operation UDO KA have neutralised 80 combatants, arrested 162 IPOB/ESN criminals and rescued 109 kidnapped hostages. They have also recovered 63 assorted weapons, 320 assorted ammunition and 166 other incriminating items within the period.
Recall that on his appointment, Ribadu, was charged to work together with the security agencies so as to restore security and order in the country. The charge came against the backdrop of the growing level of insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes threatening the corporate existence of Nigeria.
Ribadu had also assured the President that the security agencies under his watch would accomplish the objective of securing the country and restoring peace and stability in the country. “We’re going to work tirelessly to ensure that we accomplish the objective of securing our country, and restoring peace and stability so that we can get our lives back. The President gave us the assurance that he is with us 100 per cent. He told us we must work as a team and that there’s work to be done. He expects us to deliver and we’re grateful for the opportunity. That’s why we are here.
“Where we are today, you can already see that things are improving in our country. You see the records of crimes and activities of criminals going down, it will continue to go down. So, we’ll secure the country. Nigerians have seen the quality of the people who are given the opportunity. They are probably some of the best we have and they are not going to fail you, they’ll certainly deliver,” Ribadu promised.
The achievements so far recorded have been attributed to the efforts and leadership qualities of the NSA and his resolve to ensure that the mandate handed down to him by the President is achieved. Despite the successes, Ribadu is quite aware that he has to work harder to meet the high expectations of Nigerians, who in the last decade, have waited in vain for a solution to the high level of insecurity that has negatively impacted the country’s growth and development. Apart from his success with the military, he has also promised to reposition the police. He said that the goal of his office is to ensure that the police take full control of the internal security without involving the military.
Speaking at the recent annual conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Abuja, Ribadu noted that achieving the goal would help the army to focus better on external security and terrorism.
He added that there must be closer inter-agency collaboration as well as capacity building to ensure success in the fight against insecurity. According to him, national security is a collective effort where all ministries, departments, agencies, civil society groups and citizens have to work collaboratively to ensure a secure nation. He said: “Community support is also critical for the success of curbing insecurity.
The goal is to get the police to take full charge of internal security without having to invite the military to wade into the internal security of the country so that they can focus on external security.”
He also emphasized the need to strengthen the legislative framework and review strategies and policies on security. He noted that the government would spare nothing to ensure synergy among all security agencies, even as he added that it was important to work with the media to reach a wide audience to ensure that any information on security was accurate and not fake news.
However, Ribadu’s first 100 days in office has proven that the President has just put a round peg in a round hole in his choice of the NSA. The president, by the choice of Ribadu, has equally proven that he is in sync with the global trend that is shifting to intelligence-led security. And Ribadu has also proven that the key to tackling Nigeria’s myriad security issues as experts have said repeatedly goes beyond focusing troops’ deployment to emphasizing intelligence gathering and the use of soft power.
Indeed, one can rightly say that Ribadu, in his first 100 days in office, has changed the security narrative of the country. And Nigerians can only wish him well as he and his men launch more deadly attacks on terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, oil thieves and other criminal elements that are determined to make life a living hell for Nigerians.