Insecurity: Special military forces will be deployed to Kwara, Niger – CDS

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Olufemi Oluyede, has disclosed that special forces will be deployed to Kwara State and parts of Niger State as the military intensifies efforts to curb rising insecurity in the North-Central.

Oluyede made this known on Tuesday during the 2025 budget appraisal and defence of the 2026 budget proposal before the House Committee on Defence.

This is as he also called for urgent strengthening of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to consolidate gains recorded by the Armed Forces against insurgency and banditry.

He said while the military had made progress in clearing criminal elements from several areas, sustaining peace required adequately equipping the police and civil defence, which have larger personnel strength and wider community reach.

“If these institutions are strengthened, they can effectively hold and secure territories where the Armed Forces have succeeded,” the CDS said.

Providing an update on the security situation nationwide, Oluyede said new special forces had already been deployed to Benue and Plateau states, while a new Joint Task Force, code-named Operation Savannah Shield, would soon be inaugurated to specifically cover Kwara State and parts of Niger State.

“We are pulling resources from other theatres to strengthen this operation and ensure improved security in the area,” he said, noting that insecurity had persisted in parts of the North-West and North-Central despite improvements in the North-East.

Oluyede stressed that the Armed Forces alone could not address Nigeria’s security challenges, citing manpower limitations and the strain caused by constant troop movements across multiple theatres of operation.

“The soldiers hardly have rest because we don’t have the numbers. That is why strengthening the police and civil defence is critical,” he said.

He also disclosed that Nigeria was partnering with allied countries to close intelligence gaps, adding that such collaborations were being carefully managed to protect the country’s sovereignty.

Earlier, Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Rep. Babajimi Benson (APC, Lagos), said Nigeria’ security challenges could not be tackled through kinetic approaches alone, calling for stronger institutional reforms, improved inter-agency coordination and accountability.

Benson stressed that budgetary allocations to the defence sector must translate into measurable improvements in security, warning that inadequate funding and weak implementation could undermine national stability.

He reaffirmed the National Assembly’s commitment to oversight, transparency and support for reforms aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s defence architecture and ensuring sustainable peace.

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