President Bola Tinubu has directed heads of security agencies to rescue all abducted persons, eliminate terrorist and bandit camps across Nigeria, and ensure a safe environment for the January 2027 general elections. The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), disclosed this on Thursday after a security meeting presided over by the President at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Musa said Tinubu demanded free, fair and credible elections and directed security agencies to remain neutral, assuring political parties that no candidate or voter would be intimidated.
The minister also highlighted efforts to strengthen the country’s security forces through increased recruitment, training, improved welfare and the acquisition of new military equipment. He disclosed that Tinubu would soon inaugurate about 10 newly acquired aircraft and helicopters. Meanwhile, sources familiar with the meeting said the President ordered the deployment of forest guards to territories reclaimed from terrorists and bandits to prevent them from returning. The move is intended to address a longstanding challenge in military operations, where troops clear affected areas but cannot remain permanently to secure them.
The meeting also considered the designation of electricity infrastructure as critical national assets following repeated cases of vandalism, as well as possible measures to protect Nigerians against the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa. An official said the government was reviewing potential restrictions to prevent the disease from entering the country. The World Health Organisation had declared the recent Bundibugyo strain outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, while Kenyan authorities confirmed an imported fatal case on October 6, 2026. However, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the country had no confirmed case as of that date.
The meeting was attended by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; service chiefs; the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu; and heads of other security and intelligence agencies. The government has continued to expand its Presidential Forest Guards Initiative, which was launched in 2025 to improve security in forests and other vulnerable areas. More than 7,000 guards graduated in December 2025, with subsequent recruitment and training reportedly increasing the total number to about 9,000. Tinubu has also approved salary increases of between 30 and 80 per cent for approximately 250,000 armed forces personnel, while the Defence Ministry has announced plans for the delivery of additional military aircraft to boost operational capacity.
