President Bola Tinubu has ordered a security outreach to the hotbeds of recent killings—Plateau, Benue and Borno—to restore peace to areas wracked by mass killings and bomb attacks.

National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, revealed this to State House correspondents after a four-hour security briefing with the President at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja on Wednesday.

“We listened and we took instructions from him. We got new directives…to go meet with the political authorities there,” Ribadu told reporters, adding that Tinubu directed them to engage state-level authorities in the worst-hit regions.

Director-General, National Intelligence Agency, Mohammed Mohammed; Chief Defence Intelligence of the Nigerian Army, Gen. Emmanuel Undianeye; Director-General, Department of State Services, Oluwatosin Ajayi and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, appeared for the briefing.

Wednesday’s meeting, which lasted four hours, confirmed an earlier report by The PUNCH about the President’s plans to meet with the service chiefs to discuss the recent killings in Plateau, Benue, and other parts of the country, after his working visit and retreat in Paris and London.

In Plateau State, inter-communal violence between predominantly Christian farmers and nomadic herders spiralled into gory slaughter when gunmen stormed Zikke village in Bassa Local Government early on April 14, killing at least 51 people and razing homes in a single night.

In Benue, at least 56 people were killed in Logo and Gbagir after twin assaults blamed on armed herders. Meanwhile, in Borno, eight passengers perished and scores were injured when an improvised explosive device ripped through a bus on the Damboa–Maiduguri highway on April 12.

Ribadu explained that after an extensive briefing, intelligence chiefs received fresh instructions to restore peace, security and stability across Nigeria.

In particular, Tinubu had ordered immediate outreach to the political authorities in Plateau, Benue and Borno States, and the defence team had gone round those states to carry out his directives and report back.

“We gave him an update on what has been the case and what is going on, and even when he was out there, before coming back, he was constantly in touch. He was giving directives. He was following developments, and we, in charge of the security, got the opportunity today to come and brief him properly for hours. And it was exhaustive.

“We listened and we took instructions from him. We got new directives. The fact is, Mr. President is insisting and working so hard to ensure that we have peace, security and stability in our country. We gave him an update on what is going on, and we also assured him that work is ongoing and continues.

“We also carried out his instructions. We went round, the chiefs were all out where we had these incidents of insecurity in Plateau State, Benue State, even Borno, these particular three states, and we gave him feedback, because he directed us to go meet with the political authorities there,” he explained.

The NSA described Tinubu as “worried and concerned,” and said he directed that all security arms be deployed around the clock. The government, he added, believes these steps have already produced measurable improvements, even if the situation is not yet 100 per cent safe and secure.

“He’s so worried and concerned, he insisted that enough is enough, and we are working and to ensure that we restore peace and security and all of us are there. The armed forces are there, the Civil Police, intelligence communities, they are there.

“They are working there 24 hours, and we feel that we have done enough to believe that we are on the right course, and we’ll be able to be on top of things,” Ribadu stated.

The NSA emphasised that combating insecurity was not solely a federal government responsibility.

“It involves the sub-units,” he said, meaning state governors, local governments and community leaders, especially where violence springs from communal tensions.

“The issue of insecurity often is not just for the government. It involves the subunits. They are the ones who are directly with the people, especially if some of the challenges are more or less bordering on community problems.

“Not entirely everything is that, but of course it also plays a significant role. You need to work with the communities, the local governments, and the governors, especially the governors.

“The President will continue to direct that. We should be doing that, and that’s what we are able to. We are very happy and very satisfied with the instructions and directives given by Mr. President this evening.”

In Borno State, the NSA noted that while violence had surged in recent months, the insurgents refused to accept defeat.

He warned that most recent casualties there resulted from improvised explosive devices—“cowardly” IED attacks targeting civilians—and from opportunistic raids that follow any lull in fighting.

“We are getting the cooperation of the leadership at the state level, and everybody. It’s not 100 per cent…but we are going there.

“When you are having peace and you are beginning to get used to it, if one bad incident happens, you forget the periods that you enjoyed peacefully,” he added.

He paid tribute to the “many who do not sleep, who walk throughout, who do not go for any break or holiday”—the soldiers, police and intelligence officers whose sacrifices have created the fragile calm Nigerians now experience.

“They will continue to be there,” he said, adding, “Things have changed in this country…we are on the right track and we will not relent. We will not sit down; we will not stop until we are able to achieve results.”

In a similar development, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, issued a stern directive to Nigerian Army troops to clear out bandits terrorising parts of Kwara and Niger states within one month.

Oluyede gave the marching order on Wednesday while addressing soldiers at the 22 Armoured Brigade, Sobi Cantonment in Ilorin, Kwara State.

The targeted areas include Baruten and Kaiama Local Government Areas in Kwara and parts of Borgu in the Kainji forest region of Niger State.

“The Nigerian Army will not allow the insurgency in the North-East to escalate to the North-Central,” Oluyede said. “It is our responsibility to protect the territorial integrity of this country. No part of Nigeria will be allowed to fall into the hands of insurgents, bandits, or any group seeking to disrupt our national unity.”

Inspecting the military guard of honour, the Army Chief stated, “I’m giving you one month to recover all territories in Baruten, Kaiama and Kainji forest. The bandits must be flushed out. I don’t want to see any of them within our borders after the deadline.”

He assured troops of continued improvements in welfare, including better uniforms, feeding, and access to education and professional development.

“We’ve started monthly production of 100,000 uniforms and allocated N1bn monthly to improve troops feeding. We’re also working on enhancing accommodation for soldiers. I want to see our soldiers rise to become doctors, engineers, and other professionals,” Oluyede stated.

This directive comes in the wake of recent deadly attacks by an unidentified armed group, reportedly called Mahmuda, in Baruten LGA. At least seven people were killed in Ilesha Baruba on Monday, sparking concerns among residents.

Lt. Gen. Oluyede emphasised that his nationwide tour aimed to strengthen military readiness and reclaim security across all regions.

Meanwhile, the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria have queried the political will of the federal and state governments to tackle the recent surge in killings in several states.

Noting that the wave of attacks had assumed an alarming dimension, the two bodies pointed to the seeming helplessness of the governments in addressing the killings notably in Plateau, Borno, Benue, Niger and Kwara States.

The speakers’ conference, through a statement signed by its chairman, Adebo Ogundoyin, demanded urgent measures to stem the tide not the usual mere condemnation and rhetoric of foreign elements being behind the acts of terrorism across the country.

“We are alarmed by the escalating insecurity in the land and the seeming helplessness with which these attacks are met. The time for mere condemnation and rhetoric has passed; urgent and coordinated action is now required at all levels of government to end these bloodbaths and restore peace and order,” the Speakers held.

While acknowledging that national security falls within the jurisdiction of the Federal Government, the Speakers urged state governments to complement by enforcing laws that guarantee effective community policing and other grassroots-driven security models.

“We call on state governments to complement the efforts of the Federal Government by making and enforcing enabling laws for community policing and other grassroots-driven security models.

“States must develop proactive frameworks that integrate local intelligence, social support systems, and youth engagement in the fight against insecurity.

“Furthermore, we urge the Federal Government to meaningfully engage the citizenry and introduce bold, practical measures to cushion the hardship caused by its current economic policies.

“Millions of Nigerians are suffering inflation, unemployment, and a cost-of-living crisis. It is imperative that relief initiatives—targeted, transparent, and impactful—are rolled out without delay. Dialogue, not distance, must define the relationship between the government and its people at this critical time,” the statement read.

In the same vein, the PFN President, Bishop Wale Oke, who spoke in Ibadan on Wednesday, called on President Bola Tinubu to fully assume his constitutional role as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces by taking decisive action against bandits and terrorists responsible for the bloodshed across the country.

Oke described the incessant attacks and loss of hundreds of lives as intolerable and urged the government to act with urgency and resolve.

“The killings across the nation, especially in Benue, are heartbreaking. The Federal Government must live up to its responsibility. Nigerians voted for a Commander-in-Chief, not a Mourner-in-Chief,” Oke said.

“Claiming that the killers are foreigners is not an excuse. If they are indeed foreign elements, then the government must wipe them out.”

He particularly decried the continuous killings, particularly in Benue State, calling them a “mindless, satanic act” that goes against the will of God for Nigeria.

Oke condemned what he described as a lack of political will to end the crisis, insisting that the narrative blaming foreign terrorists is misleading.

“The idea that the killers are foreigners doesn’t hold water. The Nigerian government must defend the country’s territorial integrity. They know who is behind the killings but are not sincere enough to act. They lack the political will,” he said.

The PFN President also criticised National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, for saying the Tinubu administration inherited a “bastardised situation” dating back 15 years.

He urged Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to move beyond rhetoric and take concrete action to restore security.

“Someone is clearly misleading the President, and if he truly doesn’t know what’s happening, then those responsible should be held accountable and replaced with capable individuals who genuinely care about the Nigerian people,” Oke added. “The killings must stop.”

He also expressed concern that some perpetrators are being shielded due to ethnic affiliations or perceived immunity.

“Sacred cows are being protected because they are seen as kinsmen from across the border. The government must rise above ethnic sentiments and decisively root out those behind these atrocities. Let Nigerians live in peace—whatever it takes.”

“This is the demand of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria. We are tired of the killings,” he concluded.

In the meantime, retired Nigerian Air Force Officer Air Vice Marshal Monday Morgan urged state governors to leverage Forest Guards to combat insecurity in their domains.

In an exclusive telephone chat with The Punch at the weekend, Morgan said that the formation of the forest guard was to help combat foreigners who have penetrated Nigeria’s forest.

In January 2024, President Bola Tinubu promised the formation of a forest guard to effectively complement the efforts of other formal security agencies in the fight against banditry, kidnapping, terrorism, Boko Haram and other criminality in the country.

Morgan, who headed the Defence Intelligence Agency of Nigeria from July 2015 to January 2016, described the formation of the forest guard as one of the best ways the country could tackle insurgency.

He argued that if the state governors can leverage this idea, it will help combat Insecurity in the country.

The retired Air Force officer also described President Tinubu’s establishment of six development commissions as another move the political class could build on to tackle insecurity in each geo-political zone.

He said, “Some time ago, President Bola Tinubu came out with one of the best ways to tackle insecurity confronting the country, i.e the establishment of forest rangers (guards).

“Let the state governors leverage on the directive of President Tinubu to form the forest rangers (guards) to protect the forest because the personnel, when trained, will have access to weapons. You know our law does not allow an end-user certificate for quasi-military.”

The retired Air Force officer added, “The second move President Tinubu made was the creation of six development commissions, it’s a political strategy for each zone to be together, put their resources together and fund security because security is a serious business.”

The retired military officer advised the state governors to embrace President Tinubu’s two initiatives to complement the efforts of conventional security operatives, stating that the armed forces and the police do not have enough personnel.

The retired military officer stated that the indigenous Fulanis have been emboldened by mercenaries, and this,  he said, had worsened insecurity in the country.