By NaijaNews
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Tuesday, held a crucial closed-door meeting with the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja — a session that underscored the administration’s growing concern over the country’s complex security landscape.
The meeting, which came amid intensified counterterrorism and anti-banditry operations across Nigeria, is believed to be part of President Tinubu’s broader efforts to recalibrate the nation’s security strategy and sustain military pressure against armed groups threatening national stability.
Emerging from the Presidential Villa, Lt. Gen. Shaibu struck a tone of cautious optimism, assuring Nigerians that the Armed Forces were “intensifying efforts” to consolidate recent gains and ensure safety nationwide.
> “Improved security across the country,” he said simply when pressed by State House correspondents on what citizens should expect in the coming weeks.
The Army Chief revealed that his briefing to the President covered detailed updates from his recent operational tour of the North-East — a region long scarred by insurgency — and other flashpoints across the federation.
> “I came to brief him on the outcome of my visit to the North-East and then look at other security situations across the country, which were satisfactory within this period,” Shaibu noted.
According to him, the assessment of current operations showed “encouraging progress,” with the troops maintaining momentum in previously volatile territories. He praised the resilience and professionalism of the Nigerian Army, describing their collaboration with other security agencies as “a defining factor in the push toward lasting peace.”
Though the Army Chief refrained from divulging operational specifics, his assurance aligns with reports of successful joint offensives in several states. In recent weeks, coordinated air and ground strikes by the Nigerian Air Force and Army have targeted terrorist hideouts in Borno, Katsina, and Kwara States, neutralizing scores of insurgents and dismantling key logistics routes.
Military sources suggest that the renewed synergy among Nigeria’s security forces — particularly between the Army, Air Force, and intelligence units — is beginning to yield tangible results. Intelligence-led operations, they say, have disrupted major terror networks, curbed bandit movement corridors, and improved civilian confidence in affected communities.
President Tinubu, who has repeatedly declared that security remains the foundation of his administration’s development agenda, is said to be receiving regular briefings from service chiefs as part of an ongoing evaluation of the nation’s defense posture.
Analysts observe that the renewed tempo of military operations reflects a more assertive national security framework — one emphasizing speed, intelligence coordination, and territorial control. However, they caution that sustaining these gains will require not just military strength, but also social and economic interventions in conflict-prone regions.
As the Tinubu administration intensifies its war against insecurity, Nigerians remain watchful yet hopeful — that the current wave of optimism from the Army Chief’s office will translate into peace across the country’s troubled landscapes.
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