Mixed reactions have trailed the second anniversary of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with different milestones achieved in security.
LEADERSHIP reports that the fight against insurgency is yielding mixed results, and despite the optimism expressed by the nation’s security chiefs, seven attacks on military bases within five months show there is much walking the talk to do to contain the terrorisms.
The administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu inherited a baggage of security threats across all regions of the country, and it pledged to address insecurity and food security.
After several claims of degrading the terrorists by the Nigerian government, the groups keep resurging and attacking both military and civilian populations.
National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu recently revealed that over 13,543 terrorists and other criminal elements had been killed across Nigeria since May 2023.
He added that over 10,000 hostages have been rescued during the two years of President Bola Tinubu’s tenure.
According to Ribadu, another 124,408 fighters of Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa Province, along with their family members, have surrendered to Nigerian forces and are undergoing rehabilitation through the government’s de-radicalisation and reintegration programme.
However, these reported achievements do not translate to absolute security for the common man as killings are reported almost daily in Plateau, Benue, Borno and other states.
This year alone, the Nigerian Military has recorded seven terror attacks on its bases, despite the claimed successes against terrorists and bandits.
The Defence Headquarters in 2024 declared 106 terrorists/bandit leaders wanted with a vow to eliminate them from the battlefield.
While several such terrorist leaders (at least 22) have been eliminated, these successes, however, came at a price.
Abu Bilal Minuki, Haruna Isiya Boderi, Kachallah Alhaji Dayi, Kachallah Idi, Kachallah Kabiru, Kachallah Azailaru, and Alhaji Baldu are among the prominent terrorist leaders eliminated.
The director of Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Markus Kangye revealed that Nigerian troops also seized a substantial cache of arms and ammunition during recent operations targeting non-state actors.
Specifically, 3,002 firearms and 71,532 rounds of ammunition were recovered during coordinated offensives in Sambisa Forest, the Timbuktu Triangle, and the Tunbums along the Lake Chad Basin.
The military also neutralised several high-ranking terrorist leaders and field commanders, including Amir Garin Manzo, Hussaini Ardo, Abu Mohammed, Buba Kachalla Bukar, Abu Rijab, Ali Modu, Munzur Ya Audu, Abdullahi Maishayi, Abba Tukur, Abu Sule, Ari Gana, Mallam Mohamadu, Jibrila Ahmadu, and Saidu Hassan Yellow. These eliminations mark a significant blow to insurgent command structures in the region.
Timeline of attacks on military formations
On 4 January 2025, Boko Haram terrorists riding on motorcycles and gun trucks attacked a troops location at Sabon Gari village of Damboa local government area, killing at least six soldiers.
On 25 March 2025, Boko Haram terrorists attacked and dislodged troops under the 120 Taskforce Battalion in Goneri, Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State.
According to security sources, patrol vehicles, rocket-propelled grenades, general-purpose machine guns, motorcycles and critical equipment were taken away by attackers who destroyed armoured tanks and buildings in the base.
Again on March 25, 2025, Boko Haram terrorists attacked a military location in Wajiroko near Sabon-Gari in Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State, killing at least four soldiers and wounding an unspecified number in the action.
The insurgents, who dislodged the troops, also looted fighting equipment from the military base.
On March 24, 2025, Boko Haram fighters attacked Wulgo military formation in Borno State, killing at least 20 Cameroonian troops, carrying off weapons and burning down the base.
On May 3, 2025, four soldiers were reportedly killed and weapons taken away when insurgents attacked the 27 Taskforce Brigade Buni Gari, Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State.
On May 7, 2025, an army captain and a soldier were reportedly killed by the Boko Haram terrorists during a midnight attack on the Izge community in the Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.
On 12 May 2025, terrorists attacked a military base in Marte local government area of Borno State and killed four soldiers.
These attacks led to the loss of soldiers, weapons, ammunition and other equipment.
The development has also affected the planned return and resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Borno and other states.
As a consequence, the Chief of Army Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, replaced the Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai and all his field commanders following these setbacks.
LEADERSHIP reports that the Army has embarked on a theatre tour to boost the troops’ morale and retake lost ground.
The country director of Amnesty International, Sanusi Isa, condemned the attacks and called on the military to review its operations and ensure the safety of communities.
“The resurgence of attacks in the North East is a big setback for the efforts to protect civilians from the atrocities of Boko Haram. The Nigerian government must immediately review its plans and ensure people are protected and their communities safeguarded. Government must desist from compelling people to move back to areas that are not yet entirely safe,” he said.
Foreign Interest Fuelling Insurgency – Prof Dikwa
On his part, Prof Khalifa Dikwa, in an exclusive interview with LEADERSHIP, attributed the resurging terror attacks to complicity within the system and the destructive policies of the government.
He said the government had refused to recruit the required strength and provide modern technology and equipment to its troops.
He said, “Insurgent attacks on government formations are due to the refusal to take advice. When we had the civil war with Biafra, we could recruit one million soldiers and train them to fight quickly. Still, with this Boko Haram, we refuse to recruit, and each time a new regime comes, people are retired, including generals.”
He added that terrorists’ sympathisers are part of the government, frustrating every effort aimed at ending insurgency in the country.
“Remember when President Jonathan said Boko Haram members were in his government, they have always been in government, within the corridors of power, and foreign powers such as CIA assets are in government. So they are trying to reverse the achievements of the Borno Governor. The Borno model is different because nowhere in the world have IDPs been returned home. They were always dumped in the camps, where they took videos of themselves and sent them to UN headquarters to get money to share. They are never meant to end. It is a foreign interest that is stopping us from defeating insurgency. By their plan, Nigeria is supposed to be like Congo, where there are many warlords and armed groups. They started in 1999 during our return to democracy by weakening the traditional institutions. The mai angwa, village heads with more influence over communities, were removed. Remember, they know everyone and everywhere within their locality, but upon our return to democracy, they removed them deliberately”.
He lamented the recurrent retirement of senior military officers based on political reasons.
“Obasanjo, when he became President, retired many Army generals, but how do you train people up to the level of a general and retire them? Buhari retired 80 generals, Tinubu retired 113; so look at this wastage. It is just like training a doctor, and you allow outsiders to take them,” he said.
Banks Complicit In Banditry
Prof Dikwa blamed continued banditry in the country on a complicit banking system.
“Bandits take ransom in millions, but when they are arrested, you don’t see it on them, which means the money goes into the banking system, but the banks are complicit. By law, anything above one million, they should ask for the source, but they don’t. And the state will not arrest bandits who use the phone number to negotiate ransom, but arrest those criticising the government,” he said.
He berated security agencies for their inability to track and arrest bandits.
“The security agencies have trackers but don’t track the bandits because of vested interest. I do not see the end of insurgency as long as politicians are alone without technocrats appointed to head those agencies. They are there for personal interest. They are loyal to the President alone and not to Nigerians. We need to have technocrats in government at least for some sensitive agencies, especially in the security sector, who are only loyal to Nigerians and the profession.
“The insurgents are using modern weapons and technology available, but our troops are still relying on the AK-47. It will not end because it is an industry to make cheap money,” he said.
Prof Dikwa said it will be challenging to defeat insurgency and corruption when hunger and poverty are weaponised.
According to him, the twin policies of fuel subsidy removal and devaluation of the Naira left many people aggrieved, so they join available gangs for survival.
“That is precisely what is instigating youths to join terrorists because they look at the condition of their parents after working for the nation,” he said
Saboteurs in the Military
On his part, a former director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Barrister Mike Ejiofor concurred that terrorists overrunning military bases was due to internal sabotage.
Ejiofor said that the nation’s security architecture contained rotten eggs and called for concerted efforts to purge the system of such elements to address insecurity.
He said, ”I can confirm that Boko Haram cannot operate in isolation without insider connivance; otherwise, how can they attack a military formation? These people are not proficient in handling arms to the extent of dislodging an army formation. There are insiders and saboteurs within the system. When I was kidnapped, one of the people who kidnapped me was a soldier.
We need to do some in-house cleaning. We must purge the military, security agencies, and politicians of rotten eggs. There are some rotten eggs sabotaging the efforts of our military,” he said
Security and safety professional Abdullahi Mohammed Jabi called on relevant agencies to sit up and purge themselves of rotten eggs.
He lamented the resurging attacks and called security Chiefs to change strategy and end the menace.
2 new aircraft for NAF
According to the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, the service received two new aircraft within the year and expected an additional 49 others to boost its order of battle.
Providing an overview of operational achievements, the CAS disclosed that in the past year alone, the NAF has flown over 4,500 hours across 2,304 sorties, executing nearly 2,000 counterinsurgency missions.
He added that over 2,600 anti-banditry sorties were carried out, resulting in 4,670 hours of flight time.
According to the CAS, the NAF, in support of efforts to combat economic sabotage, conducted 366 sorties targeting crude oil theft and illegal refining, amassing more than 1,450 hours of flight time.
Between January and May 2025, the Air Component of OPDS executed over 173 missions and 265 sorties, accumulating approximately 270 flying hours in support of joint military operations and independent strikes across key oil-producing states, including Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River.
During these operations, airstrikes destroyed more than 100 illegal refining sites, 53 boats, 74 cooking tanks, two reservoirs, and several transport vehicles.
Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, the Chief of the Naval Staff, said the service had delivered three helicopters and three ships to boost its operations.
He said the service arrested 215 suspects and 26 vessels and deactivated 468 illegal refinery sites between January and May 2025.
He added that an estimated 6.5 million litres of stolen crude oil and 7 million litres of illegally refined Automated Gas Oil were seized and appropriately handled.
Furthermore, 361 wooden boats, 1,107 dugout pits and 279 storage tanks were deactivated.
According to the CNS, the Navy has destroyed 103 illegal refinery sites since January 2025 and arrested 34 suspects linked to crude oil theft.
The service also seized 39 wooden boats and one ship involved in crude theft within the year.
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