A new Five-Year Strategic Defence Operations Plan has been prepared to end the 17-year scourge of insecurity in parts of Nigeria, according to the spokesperson of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Dele Alake, who said the plan reflects President Bola Tinubu’s determination to tackle terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other forms of criminality.
In a statement on Sunday, Alake said the plan offers a long-term framework for aligning defence priorities, operational requirements, capability development and spending with Nigeria’s current and anticipated security challenges.
It is a major part of the President’s effort to shift the security architecture towards a more coordinated, intelligence-led, technology-enabled and prevention-oriented system.
According to the statement, military operations over the last three years have eliminated more than 15,000 Boko Haram terrorists and bandits.
It added that more than 130,000 Boko Haram fighters and dependents have surrendered through Operation Safe Corridor, the Federal Government’s rehabilitation programme for repentant insurgents.
The figures, it said, underscore a two-phase approach of sustained military operations and non-kinetic interventions.
To strengthen the Nigerian Army’s operational capacity, Tinubu has created four new Army divisions and restructured existing formations. The reforms are meant to widen operational coverage, decentralise operations and help troops respond faster to threats.
The President also approved two additional Army depots, in Osogbo, Osun State, and Amasiri-Edda, Ebonyi State.
Each can host 6,000 recruits at a time, giving a combined training capacity of 12,000 soldiers. The Osogbo depot is already in use, with 5,210 recruits in training.
The expansion is expected to shorten recruit turnaround time and increase the number of soldiers available for deployment.
Tinubu further approved the recruitment of 28,000 additional soldiers and 50,000 additional police officers to boost the military’s presence on the ground, reinforce internal security and improve policing capacity.
The administration is also investing in accommodation and operational infrastructure for personnel welfare and effectiveness. One such project is a 700-unit military barracks in Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti State, designed to give personnel a professional living and working environment and to strengthen the military’s presence in the area.
The statement said these measures reflect efforts to close manpower and infrastructure gaps and ensure personnel are properly trained, equipped and deployed to areas facing security challenges.
Under the plan, the Federal Government will guide security sector investments by clearly identified threats, operational requirements and national priorities.
The plan is expected to strengthen combat readiness, address critical capability gaps, make the best use of available resources and minimise unnecessary spending and wastage.
