The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council said the Nigerian military had eliminated more than 15,000 terrorists and bandits in the last three years, while more than 130,000 Boko Haram fighters and their dependants had surrendered under the Federal Government’s rehabilitation programme.
In a statement issued on Sunday by its spokesperson and Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, the APC campaign council said President Bola Tinubu had developed a Five-Year Strategic Defence Operations Plan to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture, improve military effectiveness and ensure a coordinated response to emerging threats.
The council attributed the reported gains to the military’s sustained operations and non-kinetic interventions under Tinubu’s administration.
It said the government was pursuing a comprehensive approach to tackling terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other security threats across the country.
The APC PCC stated, “President Bola Tinubu is determined to end the 17-year scourge of insecurity ravaging parts of Nigeria through a comprehensive Five-Year Strategic Defence Operations Plan designed to strengthen the country’s security architecture, improve military effectiveness and ensure a coordinated response to emerging threats.
“The plan provides a long-term framework for aligning defence priorities, operational requirements, capability development and expenditure with Nigeria’s current and anticipated security challenges.
“The initiative is a major component of President Tinubu’s determination to reposition the nation’s security architecture towards a more coordinated, intelligence-led, technology-enabled and prevention-oriented system capable of addressing terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other forms of criminality.
“In the last three years, the scale of the administration’s ongoing military operations across the country has led to the elimination of more than 15,000 Boko Haram terrorists and bandits, with more than 130,000 Boko Haram fighters and dependants having surrendered through Operation Safe Corridor, the Federal Government’s rehabilitation programme for repentant insurgents.”
The APC Presidential Campaign Council said the gains reflected the Tinubu administration’s dual approach of sustained military offensives and non-military interventions to tackle insecurity across the country.
It added that Tinubu had established four new Army divisions and restructured existing military formations to boost the Nigerian Army’s operational capacity and improve its response to security threats.
The statement continued, “The reforms aim to expand operational coverage, decentralise military operations and enable troops to respond more swiftly to security threats across the country.
“The President has also approved the establishment of two additional Army depots in Osogbo, Osun State, and Amasiri-Edda, Ebonyi State, to expand military training capacity and accelerate the recruitment and training of new soldiers.
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“Each depot can accommodate 6,000 recruits at a time, bringing their combined training capacity to 12,000 soldiers. The Osogbo facility’s capacity is already being demonstrated, with 5,210 recruits currently undergoing training there.
“The expansion of training facilities is expected to reduce recruit turnaround time and increase the number of soldiers available for deployment.”
The APC PCC said Tinubu had also approved the recruitment of 28,000 additional soldiers to boost the military’s manpower, strengthen its presence across the country and improve its operational capacity.
It added that the President had authorised the recruitment of 50,000 additional police officers to reinforce internal security, expand policing capacity and improve the fight against criminal activities.
The campaign council said the administration was also investing in military accommodation and operational infrastructure, including a 700-unit barracks in Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti State, to improve the welfare and working conditions of military personnel.
It continued, “The facilities are expected to provide the accommodation and operational support personnel need while strengthening the military’s capacity to maintain an effective presence in the area.
“These measures reflect the administration’s determination to address manpower and infrastructure gaps, improve the capacity of security agencies and ensure personnel are adequately trained, equipped and deployed to areas facing security challenges.
“Under the Five-Year Strategic Defence Operations Plan, the Federal Government is adopting a more strategic approach to national defence by ensuring that investments in the security sector are guided by clearly identified threats, operational requirements and national priorities.
“The plan is expected to strengthen combat readiness, address critical capability gaps, optimise available resources and minimise unnecessary expenditure and wastage.”
With the January 16, 2027 presidential election approaching, insecurity has featured prominently in campaign discussions.
As Tinubu seeks re-election, Nigerians and opposition leaders have continued to express mixed views about his administration’s performance, particularly its handling of the country’s security challenges.
