Ribadu declares that IPOB’s ‘Sit-at-home’ order is no longer effective

National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu has announced a major breakthrough in the nation’s fight against insecurity, declaring that the infamous “sit-at-home” orders issued by non-state actors in the South-East are rapidly losing their grip.

Ribadu made the statement on Thursday during a keynote presentation at the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Summit, where he outlined the Bola Tinubu administration’s strides in tackling Nigeria’s long-standing security challenges.

According to the NSA, the administration inherited five critical security crises: the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East, armed banditry in the North-West, secessionist unrest led by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its militant wing Eastern Security Network (ESN) in the South-East, Niger Delta militancy, and farmer-herder conflicts in the North-Central.

Ribadu said coordinated efforts by security forces have significantly reduced killings, kidnappings, and destruction across these hotspots.

“In the South-East, a welcome development is that the sit-at-home orders are becoming more and more ineffective,” he revealed. “Key IPOB and ESN figures have been captured or neutralised. Over 50 police stations and numerous police posts have been rebuilt, while attacks on security forces have dropped sharply. Social and economic activities are returning to normal.”

In the North-East, the battle against Boko Haram continues to yield results. Ribadu reported that over 13,500 insurgents have been neutralised in the last two years, with more than 11,000 firearms recovered and destroyed. He also disclosed that 124,408 Boko Haram fighters and their families have surrendered since President Tinubu took office.

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Military operations remain active in critical zones like the Tumbuktu Triangle and Tumbu Islands, he added.

Turning to the North-West, Ribadu hailed 2024 as a “watershed year” in the fight against banditry, revealing that over 11,250 hostages have been rescued. “We have delivered decisive blows to notorious warlords,” he said, listing high-profile criminal figures such as Ali Kachalla, Boderi, Halilu Sububu, Dangote, Isuhu Yellow, and Damuna among those eliminated.