The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shuaibu, on Saturday arrived in Maiduguri, Borno State, as the Federal Government intensifies pressure on the military and other security agencies to dismantle terrorist and bandit enclaves across the country.
Shuaibu’s arrival came barely 48 hours after President Bola Tinubu directed the nation’s security chiefs to rescue all abducted Nigerians and ensure that no terrorist or bandit camp remained anywhere in the country.
The Army Chief arrived in Maiduguri at about 11am and proceeded to the headquarters of the North-East Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, at Maimalari Cantonment.
Although no official confirmation had established a direct link between the visit and the President’s latest security directive, the timing underscored renewed urgency in the campaign against terrorism and kidnapping.
Shuaibu was expected to meet theatre, field and unit commanders operating across Borno State as the military reviews ongoing operations in one of the country’s most critical security theatres.
The North-East has remained central to Nigeria’s counter-insurgency campaign following years of attacks by Boko Haram and other terrorist elements.
Tinubu had, during a security meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, ordered security agencies to intensify operations against terrorists, bandits and kidnappers.
Minister of Defence Christopher Musa said after the meeting that the President directed the service chiefs and other security heads to go after criminal groups wherever they were operating.
“The directive from the President is: all of us must go all out to fish out and rescue all those that have been abducted, kidnapped, wherever they are,” Musa said.
“There shouldn’t be any camp of any terrorists or bandits anywhere in Nigeria.”
The directive effectively places the military and other security agencies under increased pressure to dismantle criminal strongholds and recover citizens still being held in captivity.
Tinubu also instructed security chiefs to ensure a safe and secure environment for Nigerians as the country prepares for elections scheduled for January.
The order comes amid continuing security concerns in several parts of the country, where terrorism, banditry and kidnapping have remained major threats to communities and economic activity.
Borno, in particular, remains strategically important to the military’s counter-terrorism operations, making the Army Chief’s presence in Maiduguri significant as commanders reassess operational priorities.
His engagements with commanders are expected to focus on the security situation, ongoing operations and the effectiveness of military deployments across the theatre.
The visit also signals the importance the Army leadership attaches to coordination between headquarters and troops operating on the front lines.
As the military responds to the President’s directive, attention will now turn to whether the renewed offensive can translate into the rescue of abducted Nigerians and the dismantling of terrorist and bandit camps.
For residents of communities still vulnerable to attacks, the expectation is simple but urgent: that the latest presidential order and the Army Chief’s visit will produce measurable improvements in security rather than another round of declarations.
