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Ribadu: Gov Mbah has fought insecurity to a standstill
• No retreat in the war against insecurity, corruption, says Mbah
The National Security Adviser, NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has commended the effort of the Governor Peter Mbah administration at restoring normalcy in Enugu State, saying the administration has fought insecurity to a standstill in the state.
This was even as Governor Peter Mbah commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on its success at fighting corruption, reiterating the commitment of his administration to waging a remorseless war on corruption and insecurity, saying it was critical to the effort to grow Enugu’s economy from a $4.4 billion to $30 billion economy and eradicate poverty.
Speaking at the official commissioning of the EFCC Enugu Zonal Command Complex, Tuesday, Ribadu, who was the Special Guest of Honour, reiterated the federal government’s commitment to the war against insecurity and corruption across the country, saying the President Bola Tinubu administration had no room for corrupt EFCC officers and law enforcement agents.
He said: “Your Excellency, the governor, we want to thank you so much for the good work you are doing, not just for Enugu State, but for our country. Things are changing. We are getting better here and things are improving. You are one of the very, very few that has shown that, indeed, it is possible. Security is getting back to normalcy in Enugu State and, by extension, the South East. And you are in the forefront of it. We recognise that and thank you for the good work you are doing. The economy is improving. It is clear. You are addressing insecurity. You are engaging.
“We believe that with leaders like you, the human challenges and the typical things we had to face in the past will certainly be put behind us. We want to encourage you and all those, who are doing exceptionally good work in restoring order in Nigeria.
“We were here in June and we had an interaction with the governor, and he came out strongly and courageously. He said that he would do his best to restore order. Today, based on our own records and statistics – because we get daily reports of activities – there are lots of instances or days or even weeks and more that we have not recorded one single violence or incident of either terrorism or even kidnapping. They are going extremely down in Enugu State and by extension the South East. Things have changed.
• National Security Adviser, NSA, Nuhu Ribadu and Governor Peter Mbah
“Unfortunately, before the coming of this administration, police stations were being attacked, law enforcement people were being attacked. People were giving selfish orders. Those who are not even in Nigeria will sit somewhere in the comfort of the countries where they live and be giving instructions that people should not go to work; should not go out to look for their own livelihood and people used to take such orders. But no more; it is no longer happening. We thank the leaders who have emerged in the South East and we thank the federal government for engagement.
“We want to thank the governor of Enugu State. He has done a wonderful job. And also tell people of this state to support him. He is doing a good job. We are very, very proud of what is happening today in Enugu State and the South East by extension”.
As part of the security effort, Ribadu reiterated the commitment of the Tinubu administration to giving every Nigerian a sense of belonging and treating every part thereof with equity, justice, and fairness.
Also speaking, Governor Mbah, while commending security on the good job done so far in the state, said his administration supported the EFCC towards the rebuilding of a befitting zonal office in Enugu to strengthen the war against corruption and insecurity.
“We hereby enjoin the security agencies and EFCC to sustain their good work to ensure that Enugu State and Nigeria as a whole are finally able to consign the memories of insecurity to distant history.
“The opening of this office reconfirms our commitment as a nation to sustain the war against corruption. This commitment is well founded in view of the many proven negative effects corruption has on economic development.
“With this in mind, considering the objective of this administration to make Enugu one of the top 3 states in Nigeria in terms of GDP and achieve a zero percent rate in the poverty head count, it is clear that corruption has to be brought down to a barest minimum within the State,” he stated.
On his part, EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, charged his men to raise the ante, utilising the facilities and resources at their disposal in the war against corruption to redeem the nation’s image.
“With this facility, I want to assure His Excellency and indeed all citizens of Enugu State and the entire South East region that fraudsters have no place in any part of the zone.
“To whom much is given is given, much is also expected. I require every staff to be doubly committed to the mandate of the Commission for the South East to feel the greater impact of the EFCC in our development”, he said.
Obi, in a statement via his X-Handle on Tuesday, described the trend as “a sad reflection of how deep our national decay has become,” warning that the infiltration of criminal networks into the logistics sector exposes the weakness of Nigeria’s regulatory and security institutions.
“When criminal groups can freely use delivery companies to move drugs across the country, it shows how fragile our systems have become,” Obi said.
He lamented that despite repeated warnings from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the situation continues to worsen — a reality he attributed to corruption, weak oversight, and institutional compromise.
“The NDLEA has raised this concern many times, yet the problem persists. It is being fuelled by poor regulation and a culture of impunity that has turned law enforcement into a mere formality,” he added.
Obi described drug trafficking as a grave national and international crime that destroys families, fuels insecurity, and erodes societal values. He cautioned that a nation already struggling with unemployment, hunger, and insecurity cannot afford to normalise drug use or trade.
“Drug trafficking is not just an offence against the law — it is an offence against our conscience as a people. A drug-normalised society cannot progress,” he said.
Calling for stronger oversight and a renewed commitment to integrity in governance, Obi urged Nigerian leaders to rebuild institutions grounded in truth, accountability, and justice.
“Nigeria must rise above this dangerous decline and rebuild a system where laws are sacred, leaders are accountable, and no one is above justice. Our nation will only heal when character and responsibility return to governance,” Obi stated. (The Guardian)
Military investigators probing an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu are reportedly grilling a Managing Director of a Federal Government agency in the South South region.
According to a report by The PUNCH, two intelligence officers confirmed that the MD was arrested for allegedly transferring a huge sum of money to a former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, who was fingered as one of the financiers of the alleged plot to forcefully change the government.
According to reports, investigators believe the funds were meant to finance the coup.
“The MD (name withheld) transferred a huge sum of money to Sylva. Investigators are working on the theory that the fund transfer was connected to the coup. He is presently answering questions about what the money was meant for.”
Also arrested, according to the paper, are the younger brother of former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, and his driver.
The former Bayelsa governor’s Abuja house was reportedly raided by investigators on Saturday, with military operatives arresting his younger brother, Paga, who is his Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs and went away with his driver.
The former minister and All Progressives Congress chieftain was outside the country during the operation.
Sources with knowledge of the operation explained that he was planning to return to the country when he heard that the coup leaders had been arrested. He thus shelved his plan to return home.
“Sylva’s Abuja home was raided on Saturday, but he wasn’t around. His younger brother, Paga, who is the SA, Domestic, and the driver, were arrested. Investigators believe Sylva allegedly funded the coup plot. Sylva was abroad and was preparing to leave for Nigeria when he got wind of the arrest of the coup leaders. So, he stayed back.”
The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj-Gen Markus Kangye, and the Director of Defence Information, Brig-Gen Tukur Gusau, could not be reached for comments on Tuesday as they didn’t pick up calls from our reporter.
Gusau had, in a statement on October 4, said that 16 officers were detained for breaches of military regulations and acts of indiscipline.
“The Armed Forces of Nigeria wishes to inform the public that a routine military exercise has resulted in the arrest of sixteen officers over issues of indiscipline and breach of service regulations.
“Investigations have revealed that their grievances stemmed largely from perceived career stagnation caused by repeated failure in promotion examinations,” the statement partly read.
However, online platform SaharaReporters claimed that the detained officers — ranging from the rank of Captain to Brigadier General —were being held by the Defence Intelligence Agency for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government.
It also alleged that the officers were arrested at their homes across the country.
“The 16 officers were planning a coup. The military authorities were just being diplomatic in the statement released by the spokesperson. They have started holding secret meetings on how to overthrow the President and other top government officials,” SaharaReporters quoted an unnamed official. (The PUNCH)
The House of Representatives on Tuesday raised concern over growing security threats to the National Assembly, including a terrorist threat to bomb the legislative complex.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Internal Security, Garba Ibrahim Muhammad, disclosed this during a public hearing on a bill to establish the Legislative Security Directorate, held at the National Assembly complex, Abuja.
The proposed legislation is titled “A bill for an act to provide for the establishment and the functions of legislative security directorate in the national assembly; to provide for the qualification and condition of service of the sergeant-at-arms and other personnel of the directorate and for related matters, 2024 (hb 1632)”.
Muhammad said intelligence reports and security incidents in recent months revealed that the National Assembly had increasingly become a targeted for criminal and terrorist attacks.
The lawmaker noted that the influx of people into the complex daily, including visitors, lobbyists, and demonstrators, had made it a vulnerable target.
He said: “The National Assembly is going through a lot of security challenges; we have experienced car thefts, motorcycle thefts, vandalism, fake Identity cards, unwanted visitors accessing the National Assembly without documentation, as well as petty trading, which makes the National Assembly look like a small market.
“We have received threats from terrorists to bomb the National Assembly Complex and threats from protesters to lock up the National Assembly. Legislators are exposed to threats from constituents and others who have gained easy access to their offices without any formal appointment
He warned that with the ongoing security challenges, if proper measures were not taken, it would truncate the legislative activities in the National Assembly.
“It is obvious that with the ongoing security challenges, if proper measures are not taken, will truncate the Legislative activities in the National Assembly and if activities are thwarted, there will be no Representation, no oversight, no Annual budget, there will be no plenary at all, and that will destabilise legislative procedure, democracy and the stability of the system, and our Nation at large.
“Effective security management needs a total approach that requires various elements to be integrated to secure our environment for legislative procedure to function effectively and maximally.
“That is why this Bill is very important, because it seeks to address all the challenges as aforesaid and adopt world best practices of Parliamentary security procedures and architecture.”
He also urged state Houses of Assembly to emulate the National Assembly by adopting similar security frameworks to safeguard their legislative environments.
The proposed Legislative Security Directorate Bill (HB 1632) seeks to provide a legal framework for the establishment of a specialised internal security agency within the National Assembly.
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