‘Terrorists will be crushed,’ defence minister promises as Tinubu orders service chiefs relocated to Sokoto over insecurity

Mr Matawalle said on arriving in Sokoto that President Bola Tinubu directed them to relocate to Sokoto to address the escalating security challenges in the region.

The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has arrived in Sokoto State with the security chiefs to supervise the military response to the escalating security challenges in the North-west region.

President Bola Tinubu ordered Mr Matawalle and the military chiefs to relocate to Sokoto State as part of efforts to rid the state and the entire north-west of rampant terrorism, an official has announced.

The North-west is arguably Nigeria’s most terrorised region, with four of the region’s seven states among the top five states with the highest number of kidnap incidents between July 2023 and June 2024.

Mr Tinubu’s order came amid a video clip circulating online showing how a jubilant terrorism kingpin, Bello Turji, and his armed bandits celebrating “victory” over the Nigerian military after burning down two Mines Resistant Armour Personnel (MRAP) vehicles stuck in the mud.

Mr Matawalle landed at the Sultan Abubakar International Airport Sokoto on Tuesday afternoon accompanied by the Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa, and the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Emmanuel Undiandeye, among other senior officers.

Addressing soldiers at the 8 Division Headquarters in Sokoto, the minister said their relocation was in compliance with President Bola Tinubu’s directives.

He assured the troops of the president’s support to crush bandits across the country, adding that the president was very concerned about the security situation in the region.

“We are here in Sokoto State on the instructions of President Tinubu, who directed the Ministry of Defence with all its artillery to come to Sokoto and review the operations, especially that of Operations Hadarin Daji.

“The President is worried about what is happening in the North-west. He called me and the Chief of Defence staff while he was in China to immediately suspend whatever we were doing and come down to Sokoto.

“He said we should come and supervise the operation of our troops currently going on in the North-west, under the leadership of Operation Hadarin Daji, to see our troops, to review the operations and to make sure that all their needs are provided so that they can go and fight those criminals.

“Nigeria is not a banana republic; Nigeria is a country that governs by the Constitution, and you all know Mr President knows the problem of the North, and that is why he appoints his security team from the North, including myself and the defence minister (Muhammad Badaru), Mr Matawalle said.

He said the president was intentional about their appointment because he knows the region’s security challenges.

“The president carefully selected northerners and appointed them into key positions. Look at me: I am from Zamfara State, and the Chief of Defence is from Kaduna State. The Minister of Defence, Badaru, is from Jigawa State; the National Security Adviser is from Adamawa State while the Minister of State for Police Affairs is also from the North.

“So, he carefully selected us because he knows our problem is insecurity. So, we are here to flush out those bandits that have been terrorising our region,” he said

The minister told the troops not to be distracted by recent happenings in the state, apparently referring to a failed mission which led to the burning of two Mines Resistant Armoured Personnel (MRAP) vehicles by bandits in the forest.

It is unclear how effective this strategy would be as ex-President Muhammadu Buhari also ordered his military chiefs to relocate to Borno at the height of the Boko Haram insurgency. Although the military achieved some battlefield successes against the terrorists, the Boko Haram insurgency is still on, and the terrorists have spread their tentacles to other northern states such as Niger and Kogi.

For years, Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Kaduna, and Niger states have witnessed terrorists killing and abducting people for ransom.

Recently, some bandits executed the Emir of Sabon Birni in the Gobir Emirate in Sokoto State, Isa Bawa. The traditional ruler and his son were kidnapped on 18 July while travelling from the state capital to Sabon Birni after a private visit.

There have been several cases of attacks and mass abductions in the North-west states. The situation has deteriorated, with many local communities now virtually controlled by armed terrorists who demand taxes from locals.

He was killed in captivity on 21 August, days after he appeared in a video released by the bandits begging the government to yield to the bandits’ demand for ransom for his release.