Building security through coordination, intelligence and public trust

By: Chido Onumah

THE security-sector results recorded in the third quarter of 2026 provide a useful window into the changing character of Nigeria’s national security environment and the growing importance of coordination, prevention, intelligence, public trust and a whole-of-society approach. Terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, illicit arms trafficking, drug trafficking, human trafficking, organised and financial crime, cyber-enabled threats and climate-related emergencies increasingly intersect in ways that demand a broader understanding of national security. The experience of recent months reinforces an important lesson: no single institution can secure Nigeria on its own. Effective national security requires intelligence, military and law-enforcement capabilities, but it also requires effective border management, financial intelligence, emergency preparedness, strategic communication, community engagement and strong cooperation among institutions and citizens. The security outcomes recorded across government institutions in July and August 2026 illustrate this evolving approach.

During the period, the Armed Forces of Nigeria conducted 7,062 security operations nationwide, neutralising 1,487 terrorists and insurgents, arresting 354 suspects and rescuing 777 kidnapped victims. Troops recovered firearms, ammunition and Improvised Explosive Devices while also undertaking dialogue, peacebuilding and stakeholder engagements. These figures are significant. Behind every rescued hostage is a family reunited; behind every intercepted weapon is the possibility that a violent crime has been prevented; and behind every dismantled criminal network are communities given an opportunity to recover. The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) similarly recorded important operational gains. Intelligence-led operations resulted in the arrest of 1,334 suspects and the rescue of 383 kidnapped victims. Police recovered 175 firearms and more than 3,790 rounds of ammunition while disrupting kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism and gunrunning networks.

The Department of State Services (DSS) complemented these efforts through intelligence-driven operations targeting arms trafficking, terrorism, kidnapping and other threats. Its interventions disrupted illicit supply chains, facilitated hostage rescues and contributed to convictions for serious security offences. Taken together, these developments demonstrate why intelligence-sharing and operational coordination remain central to our national security architecture. Following the Weapons, Drugs and Money Nigeria’s security response increasingly recognises the importance of addressing the enabling systems that sustain violence. One of these is the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons. On 30 July, the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), publicly destroyed 1,419 illicit weapons, bringing the number destroyed by the Centre since 2022 to more than 19,000. The Centre also received thousands of illicit, obsolete and decommissioned weapons from security agencies.

A particularly important example of inter-agency cooperation occurred in August when the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) handed over 399 intercepted firearms and hundreds of firearm components to the Centre. Such cooperation demonstrates how border enforcement, intelligence and arms-control institutions can function as interconnected parts of a national security system. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) provides another example. Between July and August, the Agency conducted 2,298 targeted operations, arrested 3,705 suspects, secured 471 convictions and seized almost 54,000 kilogrammes of illicit drugs. It also secured court orders freezing accounts containing more than ₦9.8 billion linked to cartel operations. These interventions matter because organised crime does not exist in isolated compartments. Drug trafficking, arms trafficking, terrorism, kidnapping, money laundering and human trafficking frequently depend on overlapping networks of financiers, facilitators, transporters and criminal entrepreneurs. That is why financial intelligence has become increasingly important.

The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) continues to deepen cooperation with security and law-enforcement institutions to identify the financial structures supporting organised crime and terrorism. The principle is straightforward: criminals may conceal their identities, move across borders or change their methods, but criminal enterprises require money. Following that money can reveal financiers, facilitators, beneficiaries and assets that might otherwise remain hidden.

Security beyond the battlefield

National security is also about protecting society against threats that may not immediately resemble conventional security challenges. The Nigeria Immigration Service’s work on border security, irregular migration and trafficking illustrates this broader perspective. During the reporting period, the Service rescued trafficking victims, identified persons of interest and dismantled elements of a fraudulent transnational organised-crime syndicate. Similarly, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) intensified operations against human trafficking and online exploitation, securing convictions and rescuing suspected victims. Particularly concerning is the increasing use of social media, encrypted messaging applications and fraudulent online employment platforms to recruit Nigerians into trafficking and cybercrime networks

The security environment is changing, and our institutions are adapting accordingly. Climate-related emergencies provide another dimension. During July and August, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) intensified flood preparedness and early-warning activities while providing relief assistance to 24,625 households, representing approximately 147,750 people. The Agency also activated its National Emergency Operations Centre to strengthen information management, coordination and decision-making during the flood season. This, too, is national security. A devastating flood can destroy livelihoods, displace communities, deepen poverty and intensify competition over scarce resources. Disaster preparedness should therefore not be regarded merely as humanitarian intervention. It is an investment in national resilience. The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and Federal Fire Service (FFS) provide similar examples of institutions whose work contributes directly to human security.

Road crashes, fires and other emergencies claim lives, destroy livelihoods and damage national assets.

During the period under review, the Federal Fire Service responded to 426 incidents, saved 585 lives and protected property valued at approximately ₦108 billion. The FRSC, meanwhile, intensified highway enforcement, emergency rescue operations and cooperation with law-enforcement agencies.

These efforts remind us that national security ultimately has a human face.

The Information Environment Matters

There is another arena in which Nigeria must continue to strengthen its capabilities: the information space.

Modern security operations take place simultaneously on the ground and in the information environment. Terrorists, criminal organisations and other malicious actors understand the power of narratives. Rumours, manipulated images, fabricated videos and deliberately misleading information can create panic, inflame communal tensions, complicate security operations and weaken confidence in institutions.

This is why strategic communication cannot be treated as an afterthought to security operations.

During July and August, Defence Headquarters issued 137 press releases and identified and countered 13 items of misinformation. The NDLEA issued 27 official statements, undertook 36 broadcast engagements and countered dozens of misinformation items. The FRSC similarly responded to misinformation affecting its operations.

These efforts reflect a growing institutional recognition that credible information is itself a national security asset.

As I have argued in engagements with the media and security stakeholders, we must continually balance the public’s right to know with legitimate national security considerations. Security institutions have a responsibility to communicate quickly, accurately and transparently. Journalists have an equally important responsibility to verify sensitive information and ensure that reporting does not inadvertently compromise operations, inflame tensions or endanger lives.

Recent engagements involving ONSA, security institutions, media executives and defence correspondents have similarly emphasised responsible reporting: delivering news and information that is factually accurate while remaining mindful of its potential impact on individuals, communities and the nation. They have also underscored the importance of professional capacity-building and timely access to credible security information.

Strategic communication must therefore be understood not as propaganda or an attempt to suppress legitimate criticism, but as the systematic provision of timely, accurate and credible information, accompanied by meaningful engagement with citizens and stakeholders.

Public trust is fundamental. Where credible official information is absent or unnecessarily delayed, speculation and misinformation quickly occupy the vacuum. Once institutional trust is lost, even accurate information may struggle to gain acceptance.

Security as Shared Responsibility

Perhaps the most important lesson from the security efforts of recent months is the value of collaboration.

The handover of intercepted weapons from Customs to NCCSALW; cooperation between the NFIU and law-enforcement agencies; joint rescue operations involving security agencies and communities; coordination between NEMA, state institutions and the Armed Forces; and partnerships between the NDLEA and international agencies all demonstrate that institutional silos are increasingly inadequate for contemporary security challenges.

Collaboration, however, must extend beyond government.

Traditional rulers, religious leaders, journalists, civil society organisations, businesses, academics, technology companies, youth and community organisations all have important roles in strengthening national resilience. Security in the 21st century requires this wider whole-of-society partnership.

Communities are particularly important. They often possess the earliest information about suspicious movements, emerging tensions, radicalisation, criminal recruitment and other warning signs. Building trust between citizens and security institutions therefore strengthens early warning, improves intelligence and enables earlier intervention.

This is also why civil society engagement must remain integral to national security policy. Civil society organisations can provide early warning, facilitate dialogue, strengthen accountability and connect institutions with communities that may otherwise feel excluded from formal structures.

A whole-of-society approach does not diminish the constitutional responsibility of the state to provide security. Rather, it recognises that government performs that responsibility more effectively when institutions cooperate and citizens have the confidence and opportunity to contribute.

The objective must therefore be a national security system that is preventive as well as responsive; intelligence-driven rather than merely reactive; coordinated rather than fragmented; and people-centred rather than institution-centred.

There will be difficult days, and there will be setbacks. National security cannot credibly be measured only by operational successes. It must also be assessed by our capacity to learn from failures, anticipate emerging threats, protect vulnerable communities and continually improve the institutions entrusted with public safety.

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The evidence from our security and public-safety institutions nevertheless demonstrates significant institutional capacity, courage and resilience.

Our responsibility is to strengthen that capacity, improve coordination, communicate more effectively and deepen the partnership between government and citizens.

Security is ultimately not something government simply delivers to society from above. It is something institutions and citizens must build together.

And that shared responsibility may prove to be one of Nigeria’s most enduring security advantages.

•Onumah, PhD, is Special Adviser to the National Security Adviser on Strategic Communication and Civil Society Liaison.