Again, Tinubu Orders Deployment of Security Forces to Vulnerable Communities, Religious Groups

Linus Aleke in Abuja

President Bola Tinubu has once again reaffirmed his administration’s resolve to safeguard lives and property, by formally declaring national security emergencies in vulnerable and high-risk areas across the country.

He has authorised intensified joint security operations and ordered the sustained deployment of security forces to priority locations, particularly communities facing recurrent attacks on civilians and religious groups.

Reiterating the president’s directive, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, stressed that these decisions are not merely policy statements but are being matched with concrete action on the ground.

Speaking on Thursday in Abuja at the inauguration of the U.S.–Nigeria Joint Working Group, Ribadu said Nigeria is expanding its early-warning and rapid-response mechanisms, while also developing a national database to serve as a single, authoritative source of accurate and verifiable data on deaths and casualties resulting from violent incidents.

According to him, the initiative will strengthen evidence-based decision-making, enhance accountability and improve the overall effectiveness of security responses nationwide.

“Alongside these efforts, investigations and prosecutions relating to attacks on religious communities have been intensified to ensure that violence is met not only with force, but with justice and accountability,” Ribadu said.

He emphasised that Nigeria’s plural character makes the protection of all citizens non-negotiable.

“Nigeria is a deeply plural society, and the protection of all citizens—Christians, Muslims, and those of other beliefs—is fundamental. Violence framed along religious lines is treated as an attack on the Nigerian state itself,” he noted.

Ribadu added that the government’s response integrates security operations, the rule of law, humanitarian safeguards, and strategic communication, ensuring that operational successes translate into public confidence and stronger social cohesion.

“We want Nigerians to know that this partnership is working, that it is delivering tangible gains, and that our collective efforts will continue to yield positive results,” he said.

The NSA further argued that progress should be assessed not by isolated incidents within a complex security environment, but by the overall direction of travel, decisions taken at the highest levels of government, and the institutional capacity being built to prevent, respond to and punish violence wherever it occurs.

He also highlighted that Nigeria’s partnership with the United States extends beyond security cooperation to include democratic resilience, respect for the rule of law, regional stability in West Africa, and a shared commitment to preventing extremist and malign actors from exploiting governance gaps or social divisions.

Ribadu said the Federal Government remains open to refining its approaches, strengthening cooperation, and ensuring that the Joint Working Group remains focused on outcomes rather than labels, long-term progress rather than snapshots, and partnership rather than perception.

In her remarks, the United States Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Allison Hooker, said the partnership between the United States and Nigeria is built on shared interests spanning trade and investment, security, energy and regional stability.

However, she expressed concern over recent reports that gunmen abducted more than 170 Christians in Kaduna State on January 18, stressing that the Nigerian government must do more to protect Christians and guarantee their right to practise their faith freely and safely.

Recalling that on October 31, 2025, President Donald Trump designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, Hooker said the two countries have since made significant progress in working together to better protect vulnerable communities.

“I am here today to continue and broaden that partnership,” she said, adding that discussions would focus on deterring violence against Christian communities, prioritising counter-terrorism and insecurity, investigating attacks and holding perpetrators accountable, and reducing killings, forced displacement, and abductions, particularly in the North-central states.

Also speaking, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the bilateral engagement reflects not only a shared commitment to religious freedom and civilian protection, but also a mature strategic relationship founded on trust, candour and shared responsibility.

He noted that cooperation between the United States and Nigeria—spanning military, intelligence, and security collaboration—has delivered tangible operational gains.

These include enhanced intelligence sharing and closer coordination between U.S. AFRICOM and Nigeria’s military across multiple theatres of operation, including the North-east under Operation Hadin Kai and Operation Fasan Yamma.

Idris added that the United States has committed to the timely delivery of outstanding military equipment such as drones, helicopters, platforms, spare parts, and associated support systems procured over the past five years.

He said the US has also indicated its readiness to support Nigeria through the provision of surplus defence equipment.