National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu has declared that Nigeria is significantly safer today compared to two years ago, highlighting marked reductions in Boko Haram attacks, banditry, and communal violence, particularly across the northern region.
Speaking at a two-day interactive session organized by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation in Kaduna on Tuesday, July 29, Ribadu credited the improvements to President Bola Tinubu’s directive for a unified and disciplined approach to national security.
“Kaduna State alone recorded 1,192 killings and over 3,348 kidnappings under the previous administration,” Ribadu stated. “In Benue, over 5,000 people lost their lives within the same period.”
He also revealed that ongoing military operations in the North-West have led to the rescue of 11,259 hostages as of May 2025, while several notorious bandit leaders and their groups have been neutralized in Zamfara, Kaduna, and Katsina states.
The summit was attended by key northern leaders, including Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State, Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe, Secretary to the Government of the Federation Senator George Akume, alongside current and former governors, ministers, service chiefs, and political appointees.
Ribadu concluded by reaffirming the government’s commitment to maintaining national security, stating, “Nigeria is safer today than it was two years ago, and we are seeing the dividends of a coordinated and disciplined security architecture.”
