A retired Nigerian Air Force officer, Group Captain Sodeeq Shehu (rtd.), has rated the Bola Tinubu administration below average in handling the nation’s security challenges, scoring it between 40 and 45 per cent.
Shehu, who spoke when he appeared on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ on Thursday, said. However, while there have been improvements in synergy among the security agencies, available data on killings, kidnappings, and attacks still show little difference compared to previous administrations.
“You have to look at where we came from, where we are now, and where we wish we had been. Compared to before, we can say there are slight improvements in synergy among the army, navy, air force, police, DSS, and civil defence.
However, when you look at the numbers of people killed, kidnapped or injured, there is not much difference from what we had before,” he said.
The retired officer warned that the government must be deliberate in sequencing both military action and non-military approaches.
Reports that bandits were paid as part of peace efforts prompted Shehu to distance the practice from globally accepted non-kinetic strategies.
“Non-kinetics means negotiation, community relations and reintegration of repentant fighters. It does not include giving bandits money, paying ransom or offering unconditional amnesty. That is not policy; that is weakness,” he cautioned.
He also highlighted gaps in technology and capacity that continue to undermine operations, despite Nigeria’s acquisition of aircraft such as the Super Tucano. According to him, surveillance and tracking technology remain limited, while rough terrains often constrain mobility and rapid-response units.
He noted that even where criminals are localised, the lack of adequate equipment and standby forces allows them to escape back into communities or forests. “We are not yet at the level of the United States, where detection immediately translates to capture. Here, by the time you move, the suspects have vanished,” he said.
The former officer urged the government to close capacity gaps by investing more in equipment, intelligence fusion and reaction forces. He also stressed the need for effective counter-narratives to prevent ethnic profiling and recruitment by bandit groups.
While acknowledging that Nigerian troops are still engaged in international peacekeeping, which requires considerable manpower, Shehu insisted that the government prioritise domestic threats.
