A security analyst, Bulama Bukarti, has said that merely rotating Nigeria’s service chiefs will not solve the country’s security challenges.

Coup rumours: Agbakoba backs Tinubu on replacement of service chiefs.

Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Olisa Agbakoba, has backed President Bola Tinubu’s decision to replace the nation’s service chiefs, describing it as a wise and timely move, especially amid rumours of an alleged coup plot.

President Tinubu had on Friday announced major changes in the leadership of the armed forces as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s security structure. The reshuffle included the appointment of a new Chief of Defence Staff and other top military officers.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Agbakoba said the president’s action showed firmness and decisiveness that were lacking in the previous administration.

“You have a president who is prepared to take tough decisions, and we know that he likes to take tough decisions,” Agbakoba said.

“I think he has done the right thing because his predecessor, the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, did not like to make such decisions and allowed his military team to stay far longer than they should have.”

Reports had linked the cancellation of Nigeria’s 65th Independence anniversary events on October 1 to an alleged coup attempt. But the Defence Headquarters dismissed the claims, saying the cancellation had no connection to any plot.

The former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) said the timing of the president’s decision was appropriate and showed leadership at a critical moment.

“So, if it is indeed true that there was a rumoured coup, I think he (Tinubu) acted sensibly by doing exactly what he has done,” he said.

Presidency Explains Sack of Defence Chief, Others, Says Move Is Routine.

The Presidency has clarified that the removal of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, and other service chiefs is a routine exercise aimed at strengthening national security.

Presidential spokesperson Sunday Dare stated this in an interview with DAILY POST on Friday, following President Bola Tinubu’s announcement of the new security appointments earlier in the day.

General Musa has been replaced by Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede as the new Chief of Defence Staff. Other appointments include Major General W. Shaibu as Chief of Army Staff, Air Vice Marshal S.K. Aneke as Chief of Air Staff, and Rear Admiral I. Abbas as Chief of Naval Staff. Major General E.A.P. Undiendeye retains his position as Chief of Defence Intelligence.

Dare explained that such changes are within the President’s constitutional powers as Commander-in-Chief.

“This is routine, meant to boost security across the nation. The Commander-in-Chief can at any time make these changes to both ministerial and service chiefs. In the same way, commanding officers of mechanized divisions can be moved or removed,” he said.

The reshuffle in the military hierarchy comes amid unverified rumours of a possible coup, which both the Presidency and the Nigerian Army have dismissed as false.

Over 50 Generals To Go As Tinubu Sacks Service Chiefs.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday sacked the service chiefs and appointed their replacements.

The statement announcing their removal, signed by the special adviser to the president on media and public communication, Sunday Dare, said the action was taken in furtherance of the Federal Government’s efforts to strengthen the national security architecture.

The President appointed former Army Chief, General Olufemi Oluyede, as the new Chief of Defence Staff, replacing General Christopher Musa.

The new Chief of Army Staff is Major-General W. Shaibu. Air Vice Marshal S. K. Aneke becomes Chief of Air Staff, while Rear Admiral I. Abbas is the new Chief of Naval Staff.
The Chief of Defence Intelligence, Major-General E. A. P. Undiendeye, retains his position.

President Tinubu expressed appreciation to the outgoing Chief of Defence Staff, General Musa, and the other service chiefs for their patriotic service and dedicated leadership.
The President urged the newly appointed service chiefs to justify the confidence reposed in them and to further enhance the professionalism, vigilance, and comradeship that define the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
“All appointments take immediate effect,” the statement said.
Those sacked with General Musa are the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar.

LEADERSHIP Weekend reports that yesterday’s changes mark the second major reshuffle of the military high command since President Tinubu assumed office in May 2023.
Yesterday’s change comes amid growing public outcry as the country continues to battle terrorism, banditry, and other forms of violent crime across several regions.

General Musa and those asked to leave with him had been in office since June 2023 and oversaw several major operations against Boko Haram, ISWAP, and armed bandits in the North-East and North-West.
Security analysts are unanimous that their tenure recorded significant gains.

Despite that, continued attacks and killings in different parts of the country had fuelled calls for a change in strategy and leadership.

The changes also came a few days after widespread rumours of an attempted coup to unseat President Tinubu surfaced in the media.

Though the Defence Headquarters denied it, saying there was no such attempt, yesterday’s sacking of the

service chiefs may lend credence to the alleged coup plot.

“Their sacking is as a result of losing the loyalty of those working with them. When a commander loses the loyalty of his men, then there is no need for him to remain the commander,” a security officer told one of our correspondents.

PROFILE OF NEW CDS, SERVICE CHIEFS AND CDI

In a decisive move to tackle Nigeria’s persistent security challenges, President Bola Tinubu has carried out a major shake-up in the nation’s military leadership, replacing all the Service Chiefs and the Chief of Defence Staff.

The sweeping changes, which also include new appointments for the Army, Navy, Air Force, and the Chief of Defence Intelligence, signal the President’s resolve to inject fresh strategy and renewed vigour into the fight against terrorism, banditry, and other security threats confronting the country.
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STRENGTHENING OUR NATIONAL SECURITY ARCHITECTURE

I have approved changes in the hierarchy of our Armed Forces to further strengthen Nigeria’s national security architecture. General Olufemi Oluyede is appointed Chief of Defence Staff, Major-General W. Shaibu becomes Chief of Army Staff, Air Vice Marshal S.K. Aneke is Chief of Air Staff, and Rear Admiral I. Abbas is the new Chief of Naval Staff, while Major-General E.A.P. Undiendeye retains his role as Chief of Defence Intelligence.

I thank General Christopher Musa and the outgoing Service Chiefs for their selfless service and dedicated leadership, and I charge the new Service Chiefs to deepen professionalism, vigilance, and unity within our Armed Forces as they serve our nation with honour.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu
President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces
Federal Republic of Nigeria

Just in: President Tinubu fires service chiefs, retains Chief of Defence Intelligence in new shake-up.

President Bola Tinubu has approved a major shake-up in Nigeria’s military leadership, making key appointments across the armed forces while retaining the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, despite widespread calls for his removal.

The restructuring, described as part of efforts to reinforce the nation’s security framework, saw General Olufemi Oluyede appointed as the new Chief of Defence Staff, succeeding General Christopher Musa. Major-General W. Shaibu now serves as Chief of Army Staff, Air Vice Marshal S.K. Aneke becomes the Chief of Air Staff, while Rear Admiral I. Abbas assumes office as Chief of Naval Staff.

According to a statement issued on Friday by Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Major-General E.A.P. Undiendeye, will continue in his current role, and the police leadership remains unchanged.

President Tinubu expressed appreciation to the outgoing Chief of Defence Staff and other departing Service Chiefs for their contributions to national security. He urged the new appointees to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, vigilance, and unity within the Armed Forces.

“All appointments take immediate effect,” the statement concluded.

Northern leaders demand sack of security chiefs, cabinet overhaul.

Abuja — The Northern Ethnic Nationality Forum (NENF), a coalition of socio-cultural and political leaders from the 19 northern states, has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately reshuffle his cabinet and overhaul the nation’s security architecture in response to Nigeria’s worsening crises.

In a strongly worded statement issued Sunday in Abuja and signed by its Convener, Dominic Alancha, the Forum said it had “deeply examined the painful conditions of the people of Northern Nigeria and the nation at large” and, after wide consultations, resolved to demand urgent and transformative action.

The group expressed dissatisfaction with what it described as the “glaring underperformance” of several ministers, warning that the current cabinet lacks both competence and political capital to effectively drive the government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

“A ministerial appointment is not merely a reward for loyalty; it is a critical assignment. We therefore call on President Tinubu to immediately dissolve and reshuffle the Federal Executive Council (FEC), replacing underperforming ministers with individuals of proven integrity, exceptional capability and significant political influence,” the statement read.

According to the Forum, a stronger cabinet is essential not only for national development but also for the President’s political survival ahead of the 2027 elections.

On insecurity, NENF lamented that banditry, terrorism and kidnapping had crippled farming, commerce, and transportation across many states, describing the situation as a “full-blown catastrophe.”

It declared that the current Service Chiefs had failed despite enormous resources at their disposal, and therefore demanded their immediate dismissal. The Forum also called for the appointment of new military leaders with a clear, results-driven mandate and urged the declaration of a state of emergency on security in Northern Nigeria.

“This is not a call for militarization but for a targeted, multi-agency emergency operation to flush out terrorists, dismantle their networks, and restore order,” it stressed.

The Federal Government has destroyed 3,867 Small and Light Weapons.

“Today, a total of quantity 3,867 different types and calibres of SALW will be destroyed by the initial burning process and subsequently, smelting of the remnant metal parts.

“It is pertinent to state that the National Centre has in its custody some recovered/captured illicit SALW still undergoing tracing as well as investigations and legal processes.

“These include the illicit weapons smuggled into the Country and intercepted at Onne Port and NAHCO shed at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos by the Nigeria Customs Service.

“These categories of weapons would be destroyed on completion of the proceedings during subsequent routine destruction exercises,” he said.

transparent documentation and destruction of decommissioned, unserviceable, captured, surrendered, and recovered illicit firearms.

This, he said, is in line with the provisions of Article 17 of the ECOWAS Convention on SALW and the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in SALW.

The NCCSALW boss said the centre would continue to push in the direction of generating ingenious strategies to reduce, if not completely eradicate, the availability of illicit arms in society.

He expressed appreciation to the Service Chiefs and heads of other arms-bearing security and intelligence services for releasing the recovered weapons for the destruction exercises.

“I am assured of your continued support to the Centre as we work together towards our shared vision of an illicit arms-free society,” he added.