Ribadu: Insurgency, Banditry Have Declined Under Tinubu’s Administration

National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu has declared that incidents of Boko Haram attacks, banditry, and communal violence in Nigeria’s northern region have significantly reduced over the past two years of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Speaking during a two-day interactive session organized by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation in Kaduna State on Tuesday, Ribadu credited the decline to the government’s coordinated security strategy.

According to the NSA, “In Kaduna State alone, during the previous administration, 1,192 people were killed and over 3,348 kidnapped. In Benue State, more than 5,000 lives were lost within the same timeframe.”

He noted that under Tinubu’s directive, security agencies adopted a unified approach, resulting in major breakthroughs. Ribadu revealed that by May 2025, security forces had successfully rescued 11,259 hostages in the North-West, while numerous bandit leaders and their fighters were neutralized in Zamfara, Kaduna, and Katsina states.

He also commended Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna for embracing a non-kinetic approach—non-military strategies—to tackle insecurity in hotspots like Southern Kaduna and Birnin Gwari.

> “We appreciate Governor Uba Sani for initiating the non-kinetic approach in addressing insecurity,” Ribadu added.