Nigeria’s security crisis remains one of the biggest threats to national stability, with thousands still losing their lives to terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping despite repeated replacement of service chiefs.
Development Diaries reports that President Bola Tinubu recently made changes in the hierarchy of the service chiefs in a bid to strengthen the nation’s security architecture.
His latest overhaul of the Armed Forces marks the second time in just over two years that he has replaced Nigeria’s top military chiefs, the fastest reshuffle rate by any president since 1999.
The president appointed General Olufemi Oluyede as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Maj-Gen Waidi Shaibu as Chief of Army Staff (COAS), AVM Sunday Kelvin Aneke as Chief of Air Staff (CAS), and Rear Admiral Idi Abbas as Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), while retaining Maj-Gen Emmanuel Undiandeye as Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI).
His defenders say it shows decisiveness and a hands-on leadership style, but many Nigerians are asking a simple question: will this speed translate into safety? The country is still battling terrorist attacks, banditry, and kidnappings across multiple states.
According to SBM Intelligence, at least 2,000 Nigerians were killed in violent incidents between January and March 2025.
SBM Intelligence also reported that 4,722 people were abducted (in 997 incidents) across Nigeria between July 2024 and June 2025 and 762 were killed in those kidnapping-related incidents.
One concern is that constant reshuffles, while good for accountability, may disrupt command flow and weaken trust within the ranks.
Each new set of service chiefs spends time studying files, adjusting strategies, and rebuilding relationships across commands, time that could otherwise be spent confronting terrorists in their strongholds.
According to a breakdown by BudgIT, Nigeria’s 2025 Security and Defence budget shows a N3.10 trillion allocation for ‘Defence’, yet communities in Zamfara, Niger, Kaduna, and Borno still report attacks almost weekly.
With such huge spending, Nigerians expect results, not excuses. A secure country should not still be counting corpses and ransom payments in the billions.
Beyond leadership changes, the real issue is operational continuity and political will. Terrorism has become a business for many, from weapons dealers to ransom negotiators.
The military itself has admitted knowing those financing terrorism but has rarely named or prosecuted them. Until that changes, no number of reshuffles will fix the problem.
Soldiers need better equipment, intelligence, and welfare, while corrupt insiders and political sponsors of insecurity must face justice. Nigeria can’t keep fighting the same war with the same weak systems.
Now that the president has once again changed the guards, the new service chiefs must prove that they are more than just fresh uniforms in old offices.
Nigerians want safety, not speeches. They expect bandits to flee, not relocate, and terrorists to surrender, not regroup.
The heads of the Nigerian military need to make insecurity feel insecure and be the team that finally makes peace a reality, not a promise.
Photo source: Presidency NGR/X
