Federal Govt Begins Crisis Response Exercise In Delta, Urges Calm

The federal government has commenced a one week response test exercise to ascertain the level of preparedness by security agencies in times of crisis.

A statement by the director of the Presidential Command and Control Centre (DPC4-ONSA), Rear Admiral Adedotun Olukayode Ayo-Vaughan, said the programme being held in Delta State is a scheduled multi-agency simulation exercise designed to evaluate and strengthen Nigeria’s preparedness and capacity to respond effectively to complex emergencies and security-related incidents.

He alerted the residents that there would be heavy movements of security vehicles, personnel, emergency response teams and other exercise-related activities within designated areas.

He said, “The locations for this exercise were carefully selected to depict realism. Several reconnaissance were conducted to evaluate the suitability of the identified venues for seamless delivery of the exercise. This exercise will run in four phases for the five-day duration. It starts today, having had the pre-exercise briefing, tomorrow and the next being Tuesday and Wednesday will be for the enabler training for all the components participating in the exercise. Thursday is the Exercise Day (D-Day) and Friday will be the day for the after action review and the summary of lessons to learn,” he said..

Ayo-Vaughan said the 2026 exercise codenamed “Rapid Response 3” organised by the Office of the National Security Adviser aims to test existing plans, procedures, coordination mechanisms and response capabilities.

According to him, the exercise,  which began yesterday, will last till Friday 11th September, 2026, bringing together relevant crisis response ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to also enhance inter-agency cooperation, communication, command and control as well as rapid deployment and effective management of crisis situations.

He explained that the exercise will involve relevant stakeholders who will play their various roles in the 3 levels of command namely; Gold, Silver and Bronze command levels and in accordance with the established crisis response framework as contained in the National Crisis Management Doctrine.

“The scenarios contained in this exercise is designed to test the ability of participating agencies to respond rapidly, coordinate their efforts and manage the consequences of a crisis,” he said.

He added that the exercise will be conducted in a controlled environment and does not represent an actual emergency or security incident. He revealed that the exercise is the first of its kind conducted outside the Federal Capital Territory by the Office of the National Security Adviser.

He commended the Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevvwori for his support, adding that the exercise will be conducted in phases. He added, “Observations are expected from stakeholders, observers, exercise planning team members and commanders of the exercise. The lessons will inform future exercises”.

The statement therefore urged members of the public not to panic, as they have been adequately informed through SMS and Radio messages on the exercise.

He called on the media to report only verified information and avoid disseminating unconfirmed reports or information capable of causing public panic.  “Clearly distinguish between exercise activities and real-life incidents. Adequate safety and security measures have been put in place for participants, observers, accredited media personnel and members of the public within the exercise areas”.