L-R, Chief of Army Staff: Major General Waidi Shuaibu,Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Idi Abbas and Air Vice Marshal Sunday Aneke
President Bola Tinubu has replaced Nigeria’s service chiefs and appointed new officers to strengthen the country’s security architecture.
According to presidential spokesperson Sunday Dare, Tinubu named General Olufemi Oluyede as Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Waidi Shuaibu as Chief of Army Staff, Air Vice Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke as Chief of Air Staff, and Rear Admiral Idi Abbas as Chief of Naval Staff.
General Olufemi Oluyede (Chief of Defence Staff)
Lieutenant General Oluyede, a member of the 39th Regular Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), is the new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
He was first appointed army chief after the death of his predecessor, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, in November 2024.
Before he was appointed Chief of Army Staff, Oluyede previously commanded the Infantry Corps, the army’s largest unit responsible for leading ground combat operations.
The 57-year-old officer from Ekiti State began his military career in 1992 as a Second Lieutenant.
He has held notable command positions, including Company Commander of the 177 Guards Battalion and Commandant of the Amphibious Training School.
Oluyede also participated in major peacekeeping operations under the ECOMOG Mission in Liberia during the 1990s, gaining extensive field experience in regional military cooperation.
Major General Waidi Shuaibu (Chief of Army Staff)
Major General Shuaibu succeeded Oluyede as the Chief of Army Staff after serving as the 14th Theatre Commander of Operation HADIN KAI in the North-East.
Under his leadership, troops refurbished and upgraded critical military hardware, including 10 VP-1 Type 89 APCs, five BMPs, three Steyr APCs, and six Camel MRAPs, preparing forces for the 2024 dry season operations.
The officer from Nasarawa State led the deep clearance operations into Sambisa Forest and the Tumbuktu Triangle in early 2024, targeting ISWAP and JAS strongholds. His Local Community Policing and Peace Enforcement initiative (LCPPE) strengthened trust between troops and civilians, improving intelligence sharing.
Between February 2024 and October 2025, he led operations that neutralised over 567 terrorists and resulted in the recovery of 492 weapons and 10,714 rounds of ammunition. Troops also confiscated 332 mobile phones, 54 communication radios, and disrupted insurgents’ networks.
Under Shuaibu’s command, the military rescued over 2,200 civilians from terrorist enclaves, executed 9,800 patrols, and launched nearly 1,000 offensive operations.
He also supervised Operation Desert Sanity III (Feb–June 2024), which enabled the release of more than 4,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Kukawa.
His team eliminated key terrorist leaders, including Tahir Baga and Abu Rijal, during counter-terrorism raids in 2024. In recognition of his leadership, Operation HADIN KAI received the Security Watch Award in December 2024.
Major General Abdulsalam Enesi Abubakar later succeeded Shuaibu as the 15th Theatre Commander of OPHK.
Air Vice Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke (Chief of Air Staff)
Air Vice Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, who succeeded Air Marshal Abubakar, was born February 20, 1972, in Makurdi, Benue State, and hails from Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State.
He attended Army Children School, NDA Kaduna, and later Government College Kaduna, where he completed his secondary education in 1987.
Aneke joined the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1988 as part of the 40th Regular Course and was commissioned as a pilot officer in 1993.
His academic qualifications include a B.Sc. in Physics, PGD in Management, Master’s in International Affairs and Diplomacy, Master’s in Political Economy and Development Studies, and a Master’s in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Air War College, Montgomery, Alabama.
His extensive military training includes Aeromechanical Engineering, Basic and Ab-initio Flying Courses, and both Junior and Senior Staff Courses at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji.
Aneke has flown aircraft models such as Air Beetle 18, Dornier 228, Falcon 900, Gulfstream V, Gulfstream 550, and Hawker 4000, accumulating over 4,359 flying hours and holding an Advanced Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL).
He served as commanding officer at Air Maritime Group, Benin, and Director of Policy at the Nigerian Air Force Headquarters. He also served with the United Nations Mission in Congo (MONUC) and was Deputy Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy before his appointment.
Married to Mrs Ngozi Enderline Aneke, he is a father of three sons — Chukwuebuka, Ifeanyichukwu, and Uchechukwu. His hobbies include flying, music, and movies.
Rear Admiral Idi Abbas (Chief of Naval Staff)
Rear Admiral Abbas, who succeeded Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, is a native of Tudun Maliki, Kano State.
He previously served as Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Central Naval Command and Director of Operations at Naval Headquarters. Abbas helped coordinate anti-crude oil theft operations and maritime patrols across the Niger Delta.
In June 2020, he commanded the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Victory, overseeing joint efforts against piracy and illegal bunkering.
Before he was appointed naval chief, he served as Chief of Naval Safety and Standards, following a reshuffle in June 2023. Abbas also served as a Senior Research Fellow at the Nigerian Army Heritage Centre, where he contributed to maritime strategy and policy studies.
The Federal Government has constituted a 10-member independent committee to investigate the deaths of 37 people detained by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Niger State over suspected illegal mining.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced the constitution of the committee on Saturday, following a directive by President Bola Tinubu for a comprehensive investigation into the incident.
The 37 detainees died on Thursday, September 17, 2026, while in the custody of the NSCDC Niger State Command.
The cause of the deaths has not been established, with authorities ordering investigations to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
In a statement signed by the minister, the government said the committee would establish the identities of the deceased and investigate their arrests, detention and the cause and circumstances of their deaths.
It would also determine responsibility, complicity, negligence and misconduct, as well as recommend appropriate action, compensation where applicable and measures to prevent a recurrence.
“Any attempt to destroy or conceal evidence, intimidate witnesses or obstruct the investigation will be treated as a serious offence,” he said.
The committee is chaired by retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, Jonathan Kure, while Professor Isa Hayatu Chiroma (SAN), former Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, will serve as secretary.
Other members include retired AIG Hosea Hassan Karma; Professor Olayinka Buhari, a professor of Histopathology and former Chief Medical Director of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital; a representative of the Minna Emirate Council; and a representative of the Niger State Government.
The committee also includes Alhaji Liman Sulaiman, National Secretary of the Miners Association of Nigeria; lawyer and human rights activist Deji Adeyanju; Mrs Zainab Suleiman Okino of Blueprint Newspaper; and public affairs analyst, Dr George Agbakahi.
According to the statement, the committee may co-opt relevant experts, access facilities and documents, visit relevant locations and request memoranda from members of the public.
It has two weeks to complete its work and submit its report to the minister.
The minister also expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and appealed for calm while the investigation continues.
The witness of the Department of State Service, DSS in the ongoing trial of five alleged Ansaru terror group members on Friday, September 18 told the Federal High Court in Abuja that their abductors fed them only when it was convenient for them.
The witness code named AAA who was one of the victims of Orire school abduction said they were seriously traumatised during and after their ordeal that lasted 56 days.
Under cross examination by the counsel to the five accused persons Mr Bala Dakum, the witness said they were offered food by the abductors at their own convenient time despite the presence of little children of 18 months among them.
She admitted that the alleged kidnappers used the mobile phone of the victims to contact government officials but said she did not know the phone number of the government officials that were called.
She further told the court that upon their rescue by security operatives, she was interrogated by DSS operatives in their office and also while in the hospital.
Answering a question, the witness admitted that the three out of the five defendants on trial were with them in the forest while she got to know the other two during interrogation at the DSS office.
She also told the court that Michael Oyedokun and John Olaleye were killed at camp A and Camp B respectively but that she was not present at the scene where they were beheaded.
The witness further told the court that because she was not at the scene where the two teachers were beheaded, she did not know the specific kidnappers that carried out the killing.
group of protesters on Friday took to the streets in Oyo State to demonstrate against the Iru Ekun Security Network, a private security outfit associated with Yoruba Nation activist Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho.
The protesters, who carried placards, accused the security outfit of allegedly discriminating against people from some ethnic groups and called for equal treatment of all residents irrespective of their tribe or background.
Some of the placards displayed during the protest read: “Say No To Iru Ekun, Crime Knows No Tribe,” “A Criminal Is A Criminal. One Nation, One People, One Nigeria,” and “Our Diversity Is Our Strength.”
The demonstration comes amid growing public debate and criticism surrounding the activities and methods of the Iru Ekun Security Network, particularly concerns over the role of privately organised security groups and their relationship with formal law-enforcement agencies.
The latest controversy followed an incident in Oyo State in which Iru Ekun operatives were accused of obstructing police officers who were attempting to arrest a suspect in Ibadan.
A rights group, Vocalpoint Human Rights Initiative (VOHRI), on Wednesday warned against allowing Iru Ekun or any other private group to operate as a parallel law-enforcement institution.
The group said no individual or organisation should be allowed to determine who should be arrested or punished without lawful authority and due process.
The criticism also comes after reports of confrontations involving Iru Ekun operatives during security operations in Oyo State.
In June, members of the group reportedly came under attack during a surveillance operation in the Old Oyo National Park while searching for suspected kidnappers and armed criminals. Igboho subsequently vowed that the group would continue its anti-kidnapping operations in the South-West.
Iru Ekun was established by Igboho as a community security initiative aimed at tackling kidnapping, banditry and other criminal activities across parts of the South-West.
At the launch of the Lagos chapter earlier this month, Igboho directed members of the network operating in Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Ondo and Ekiti states to intensify efforts against criminality.
According to reports, Igboho said the group would confront anyone threatening peace and security regardless of ethnic or religious affiliation and urged its members to operate within the law.
However, critics have continued to question the structure, accountability and methods of the privately organised security network, particularly given the existence of established state security structures such as the police and Amotekun.
A recent commentary published by Nigerian Tribune also raised concerns about the regulation and oversight of Iru Ekun, while discussing Igboho’s growing involvement in regional security matters.
The protesters’ demonstration on Friday adds a new dimension to the debate, with the placards emphasising ethnic inclusiveness and warning against treating crime through a tribal lens.
The protesters called for security operations to be conducted without discrimination, insisting that criminality should be addressed based on individual conduct rather than ethnic identity.
