Tinubu directs service chiefs to move to Maiduguri after coordinated attacks

President Bola Tinubu has ordered service chiefs to relocate to Maiduguri, Borno State, following coordinated terrorist attacks, as part of efforts to take direct control of the security situation and prevent further violence.

In a State House statement on Tuesday, the president expressed deep sorrow over the attacks, mourning those killed and sympathising with the injured. He assured Borno residents of the federal government’s solidarity, describing the incidents as “desperate and frantic attempts” by terrorists under sustained pressure from Nigerian security forces.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the explosions killed at least 23 people and injured over 100. The terrorists targeted three public locations—University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), Post Office and El-Kanemi Monday Market.

Before the attack, terrorists had attempted to overrun a military position in Ajilari, a garrison suburb of Maiduguri adjacent to a Nigerian Air Force base and close to the international airport in the city. This came simultaneously with similar attacks in Baga, Bututai and Damboa. However, police and military authorities said the attacks were repelled.

Mr Tinubu commended the military for repelling the assaults on their positions, noting that the assailants were increasingly weakened.

He reiterated that the government would intensify operations against criminal elements nationwide, insisting that “there is no place in Nigeria where terrorists will find safety.”

The president also disclosed that he had recently approved additional equipment and operational support for security agencies to boost their effectiveness. He directed emergency response agencies to ensure adequate medical care for those injured in the attacks.

Reaffirming his administration’s resolve, Mr Tinubu said Nigerian forces would continue to hunt down and defeat terrorist groups, stressing that the country would not yield to fear.

Boko Haram insurgency

Nigeria’s war on insurgency has entered its 17th year. The Boko Haram war began in 2009 when Boko Haram members had a face-off with the police across major cities in the North-east. The group’s founder, Mohammed Yusuf, was killed in that uprising.

Mr Yusuf was succeeded by idiosyncratic leader Abubakar Shekau, who died in 2021 in a rivalry clash with Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a 2016 breakaway faction of Boko Haram.

Mr Shekau was also succeeded by Bakura Doro who now leads the group from his Lake Chad Island. Other leaders of the group such as Ali Ngulde in Gwoza and Mallam Sadiku in Niger State have pledged allegiance to Mr Doro.

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With Boko Haram now staging a strong comeback, and ISWAP mastering its violent campaigns with the use of armed drones and brazen attacks on military bases, analysts say Nigeria is drifting into the pre-2015 era when insurgency took centre stage in national security.

The Boko Haram insurgency has killed thousands of people and displaced millions of locals. However, the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, had called for a recalibration of security measures to confront the resurgence of terror in the North-east.

Mr Musa, a retired army general and former chief of defence staff, gave this directive when he met with service chiefs last week, following deadly ISWAP attacks on military bases in Borno and Yobe states.