National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has said Nigeria was on the verge of collapse prior to President Bola Tinubu’s assumption of office in May 2023.
He made this assertion while addressing attendees at the 50th anniversary of the Nigerian Defence Academy’s 18th Regular Course in Abuja on Friday.
Ribadu attributed the country’s fragile state at the time to widespread insecurity and economic turbulence, outlining what he described as five persistent and critical security threats across different regions.
“When this administration took office on May 29, 2023, the security situation was threatening the very cohesion, stability, and integrity of our Nigerian state,” Ribadu said.
“We inherited five intractable security challenges that had brought our nation to the brink.”
According to him, these challenges included the Boko Haram insurgency in the North East, banditry in the North West and North Central, separatist movements in the South East, oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta, and rising urban crime nationwide.
Ribadu explained that Boko Haram and its affiliates had taken over 35,000 lives and displaced millions.
He also cited statistics from conflict-tracking bodies, stating that banditry had killed more than 12,000 people and displaced over a million, with around the same number of children out of school by late 2021.
He pointed to a series of violent incidents in 2022 and 2023 as examples of the fragile security situation.
These included the Abuja-Kaduna train bombing, an attack on Guards Brigade personnel in Abuja, the massacre at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, and the jailbreak at Kuje Correctional Centre.
On the topic of separatist violence, Ribadu disclosed:
“Between October 2020 and June 2021, the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, ESN, were responsible for attacks on 164 police stations, the deaths of 128 officers, and the injury of 144 more.”
“30 prison attacks were recorded, including a jailbreak in Umuahia in which 1,841 inmates escaped.”
He also shared figures from recent counter-insurgency operations.
“Our operations in the North East have yielded results. Over 13,543 terrorists and criminals eliminated, 124,408 Boko Haram fighters and family members surrendered, 11,118 weapons recovered, and more than 252,000 rounds of ammunition destroyed.”
Speaking on the situation in the oil-rich Niger Delta, Ribadu highlighted progress in curbing illegal refining and boosting production.
“Our oil production today rose to an average of 1.8 million from 1 million that we inherited,” he said.
“All oil pipelines are now green and operational. 1,978 illegal refineries, 3,849 dug-out pits, and 3,773 cooking ovens have been destroyed.”
He further noted that oil production was set to resume in Ogoni land for the first time in over 30 years.
Turning to the South East, Ribadu emphasized a decline in separatist influence and improved law enforcement presence.
“We are containing the separatist agitation through strategic operations and community engagements. Stay-at-home orders are becoming increasingly ineffective,” he said.
“Over 50 police stations destroyed in earlier attacks had been rebuilt,” Ribadu added, noting that “security personnel had returned to their posts in many affected areas.”
While acknowledging that some issues persist, the NSA concluded that the Tinubu administration’s multi-pronged approach is gradually stabilizing the country.
