Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu on Monday ordered the removal of the country’s security chiefs and the chief of police, less than a month after taking office, in a major reshuffle of the defense and security sector.
The president retired the defense chief, along with the heads of the army, navy and the air force, and named new officers as their replacements.
According to a statement issued on Monday, Tinubu has “approved the immediate retirement from service of all Service Chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police, Advisers, and Comptroller-General of Customs, as well as their replacements with immediate effect.”
The head of state appointed Nuhu Ribadu, former head of the country’s economic and financial crimes agency, as his national security adviser, while Major General Christopher Musa, who led the military’s counter-insurgency efforts until last year, takes over as chief of defence staff, replacing Lucky Irabor.
The West African country has been grappling with a spike in criminal activity, including jihadist insurgencies, terrorism, and ransom kidnappings, sparking persistent calls on the government to tackle the situation.
President Tinubu assured Nigerians during his inaugural speech on May 29 that security would be his government’s top priority, saying that neither prosperity nor justice can thrive in the presence of insecurity and violence.
Aside from the security sector reshuffle, the president has also dissolved the boards of federal government institutions, agencies, and state-owned enterprises. The boards of the judicial council, the electoral commission, and the police service are among those unaffected by the changes.
