Nigeria’s worsening security crisis has intensified the Tinubu security emergency after former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa (Retd.), quietly visited the Presidential Villa late Monday. His appearance comes at a moment when the country is reeling from a 13-day stretch of coordinated kidnappings and terror attacks.
Gen. Musa arrived at the State House at 7:03 p.m., escorted by senior security officials, marking his first public engagement with President Tinubu since retiring in October 2025.
Tinubu Security Emergency: 490 Kidnapped in 13 Days
Nigeria has faced a brutal wave of attacks, including:
- 25 schoolgirls abducted in Kebbi,
- 38 worshippers kidnapped in Kwara,
- over 300 students and teachers taken from a Catholic school in Niger State,
- travellers, monarchs and entire families abducted across the North.
Across two weeks, 490 people were seized by armed groups.
President Tinubu recently declared a national security emergency, ordering:
- recruitment of 20,000 police officers,
- deployment of forest guards,
- fortification of schools, churches and mosques,
- intensified joint operations between military and intelligence agencies.
A senior defence source told IDNN:
“The President wanted Musa’s perspective. His operational knowledge of the North remains crucial.”
Public Fear × Federal Pressure × Military Recalibration
The emergency environment has also revived public debate about military recruitment practices after former CDS Gen. Lucky Irabor denied claims that repentant Boko Haram fighters were being integrated into the armed forces.
Irabor insisted:
“It is impossible. There is no pathway for such recruitment. It does not exist.”
Analysts say the combined developments indicate a reset in Nigeria’s counterterrorism architecture—one relying on deeper intelligence flow, former military expertise and structural reorganisation of security assets.
What Musa’s Visit Signals
While the Presidency has not disclosed the purpose of the meeting, sources say Tinubu views Gen. Musa as a key strategic voice on stabilising the North West and North Central, where terror groups have increased operational tempo.
The visit appears to be part of a broader recalibration of Nigeria’s security leadership as the federal government confronts one of its most complex national crises in years.
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