President Bola Tinubu has given Nigeria’s defence, intelligence, and security chiefs a strict 90-day ultimatum to deliver a comprehensive National Threat Assessment and a Five-Year Strategic Defence Operations Plan.
The directive, announced by Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume, aims to transform the nation’s security architecture by moving away from reactive measures toward proactive anticipation of evolving threats.
The high-level committee responsible for drafting the documents includes the National Security Adviser, ministers of defence, service chiefs, and heads of major intelligence agencies.
Coordinated by Major General Adeyinka Famadewa (retd), the team is tasked with prioritizing risks, aligning scarce national resources, and establishing a clear path from threat evaluation to measurable operational outcomes.
This decisive move comes on the heels of renewed national outrage over mass abductions and killings in Niger State.
Barely 24 hours before the committee’s inauguration, President Tinubu ordered the Armed Forces, Police, and Department of State Services to launch an immediate, coordinated rescue operation and provide regular updates until every captive is safely accounted for.
Government officials emphasized that contemporary security challenges—ranging from kidnapping for ransom and banditry in the North-West and North-Central to enduring insurgency in the North-East—have become too complex for fragmented responses.
Akume noted that fragmented strategies often exploit institutional gaps, underscoring the urgent need for a unified capability plan that optimizes resource deployment across all operational theatres.
Under the new framework, the National Threat Assessment will deliver an objective evaluation of Nigeria’s security environment, helping authorities distinguish between immediate dangers and long-term risks.
Meanwhile, the Five-Year Strategic Defence Operations Plan will translate these findings into concrete requirements for force development, advanced technology, intelligence gathering, logistics, and infrastructure.
The comprehensive strategy is designed to operate on a rolling basis, featuring annual reviews to adapt to changing technological landscapes, emerging operational realities, and lessons learned from the field.
Akume stressed that Nigerian security personnel, who continually display immense courage on the front lines, deserve a robust strategic framework that thoroughly defines their objectives and backs them with necessary support.
Subcommittees will be established immediately to fast-track the specialized work required across various sectors.
With the 90-day clock ticking, the committee faces intense public and governmental expectations to deliver a functional blueprint that secures the nation and restores lasting peace to troubled communities across the country.
