Presidential aide, Dada Olusegun, said security has improved under the watch of President Bola Tinubu despite inheriting a large scale of security challenges from former president Muhammadu Buhari.

Against the backdrop of the recent arrest of high-profile Ansarul terrorists, Mr Olusegun lauded the appointment of Nuhu Ribadu as National Security Adviser by Mr Tinubu.

The presidential aide highlighted a series of prominent Boko Haram attacks under Mr Buhari’s regime, adding, “Between 2022 and early 2023, Nigeria began to witness a kind of resurgence in deadly attacks by Boko Haram beyond Borno where they were initially restricted by the security forces.”

“For example, in July 2022, a splinter group of Boko Haram staged a daring attack in which over 100 terrorists descended on the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja from three sides simultaneously, killing five people and freeing over 879 inmates with over 16 persons injured. On the same day as the Kuje attack, terrorists attacked a presidential convoy in Dutsinma, Katsina State,” Mr Olusegun said.

He added, “Terrorists also in late July 2022 attacked officials of the 7 Guards Battalion of the Nigerian Army Presidential Guards Brigade in a surprise ambush around the Bwari Area Council in the FCT, killing eight personnel and leaving three soldiers injured. Earlier in March 2022, another daring terror attack on a Kaduna-bound train from Abuja resulted in the death of 10 persons and the abduction of 61 passengers. Terrorists also began to increasingly stage attacks on both military and civilian targets across parts of the North East.”

According to Mr Olusegun, bandits ravaged North-East Nigeria under the former president, killing thousands and kidnapping many in Kaduna.

“Banditry increased in intensity around 2022, with many states in the North West and a few areas in the North Central coming under siege by deadly bandits. Kaduna alone recorded 1,192 killings and over 3,348 kidnapped under the previous administration,” he said.

Mr Olusegun added, “Mass kidnapping for ransom, cattle rustling and other violent crimes became rife to the point that many food-producing communities and agricultural produce hubs such as Birnin Gwari became ghost towns, negatively impacting food security.”

Lauding Mr Tinubu’s government for improved security in the country, the presidential aide said, “From the realities on the ground as far as Nigeria’s internal and external security is concerned, it is obvious that the country is increasingly heading towards a stable and more secure destination.”