The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Olufemi Oluyede, has called for urgent strengthening of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to sustain the successes recorded by the Armed Forces in the fight against insurgency and banditry across the country.
Oluyede spoke on Tuesday during the 2025 budget appraisal and defence of the 2026 budget proposal at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.
He said the police and civil defence, which have larger personnel strength and stronger community presence than the military, must be adequately equipped to secure areas already cleared of criminal elements by troops.
According to him, strengthening the two agencies would ensure that territories reclaimed by the military remain safe and stable, thereby preventing criminal groups from regrouping.
The CDS disclosed that arrangements had been concluded to deploy special forces to Kwara State and parts of Niger State to address the recent rise in insecurity in the areas, stressing that the Armed Forces alone could not resolve the country’s security challenges.
Oluyede also assured Nigerians that renewed efforts were underway to tackle lingering security threats in the Middle Belt, particularly in Benue and Plateau states, by taking the fight directly to insurgents’ hideouts.
He noted that while security had improved significantly in the Northeast, serious challenges persisted in the Northwest and parts of the North-Central region, including Kwara State.
The CDS further revealed that additional special forces had been deployed to Benue and Plateau states, while a new Joint Task Force, code-named Operation Savannah Shield, would soon be inaugurated to cover Kwara State and parts of Niger State.
Oluyede lamented manpower shortages in the Armed Forces, explaining that continuous redeployment of troops across operational theatres had overstretched personnel and affected operational efficiency.
Earlier, Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Rep. Babajimi Benson, said Nigeria’s security challenges required both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches, stressing that sustainable peace would depend on institutional reforms, improved inter-agency coordination and efficient use of limited resources.
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