A security intelligence and investigation expert, Dr. Yahuza Getso, has said that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent decision to relieve the former service chiefs of their duties will not bring an end to insecurity in Nigeria unless deeper structural problems are addressed.
In an exclusive interview on Sunday, Dr. Getso described the sack as normal and expected, explaining that such replacements happen in line with the rules guiding military appointments.
However, he stressed that the move alone will not solve the country’s security challenges.
“Well, sacking or relieving service chiefs is normal, it’s not something new. They are expected to serve for a minimum of two years, after which they can either be renewed or relieved,” he said.
“This change simply allows younger officers to grow and gives the old ones time to rest. It doesn’t mean anything special or tribalistic. The President has the right to do it at his own convenience. No one can really say the motive behind the president’s decision, but time will tell.”
Dr. Getso, however, warned that merely changing service chiefs cannot automatically improve security.
“It cannot have any impact. Changing the service chiefs is not the way forward. We know what the real problem is, and it is not about who occupies the position.”
He praised the outgoing service chiefs General Christopher Musa (Chief of Defence Staff), Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja (Chief of Army Staff), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla (Chief of Naval Staff), and Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar (Chief of Air Staff) describing them as some of the most open and accessible officers Nigeria has had in recent years.
“As far as I’m concerned, they have done a marvellous and wonderful job,” Dr. Getso said.
“They deserve every Nigerian’s clap. They were open to listening to everyone, even journalists, and they never changed their phone numbers since their early days in service. They remained accessible and responsive.”
He noted that under their leadership, the Nigerian military made progress in various operational areas from fighting Boko Haram in the North East, to confronting banditry in the North West, IPOB in the South East, and criminal activities in the South-South and South West.
“They transformed military operations with more technological innovation. Though they may not have achieved 100 percent success, they tried their best within the environment they were given.”
Despite acknowledging their efforts, Dr. Getso argued that insecurity in Nigeria will persist unless corruption is genuinely tackled and government institutions particularly the judiciary, legislature, and executive are reformed to support accountability.
“The truth is, changing service chiefs won’t take us anywhere because what matters is not just the capacity or weapons,” Dr. Getso said.
“Do we have the political will? Do the service chiefs have an enabling environment? Are we really fighting corruption? Our judiciary is rotten, and many of our political office holders are not sincere or honest. Were they truly elected or merely anointed? Until we fix these problems and hold leaders accountable, we will continue deceiving ourselves and insecurity will never end.
“Count the new service chiefs as failures if corruption is not fought practically,” he warned.
“If there’s no enabling environment, if people are not held accountable, and if corruption continues within the hierarchy of security agencies and government institutions, then the new chiefs cannot succeed. They are not magicians.”
He further stated that insecurity in Nigeria is being deliberately sustained by some politicians for selfish gain.
“We are deceiving ourselves in Nigeria,” he said.
“Some people are benefiting from insecurity to achieve their political goals. Until we are sincere and ready to fight corruption and fix our rotten judiciary, insecurity will continue to widen.”
Getso outlined what he believes should be the way forward, emphasizing the need for sincerity, accountability, and a community-driven approach.
“The way forward is to hold people accountable, reach out to the criminals where they are, and fix our judicial system,” he explained.
“We must improve technological operations, enhance the welfare of security personnel, and engage youths in community-based monitoring and intelligence sharing.”
He added that the government must also focus on monitoring and performance-based assessments across security institutions while eliminating corruption from within.
“The way forward is not just about appointing new service chiefs. We must fight corruption sincerely and in practice, not on paper. Our judiciary must be fixed because it is already rotten. The government should modernize operational strategies through technology and improve the welfare of military and paramilitary personnel. We also need a community-driven approach that engages young people in intelligence gathering and strengthens communication between citizens and security agencies. Above all, there must be accountability, proper monitoring, and sincere coordination between the executive, legislature, and judiciary to create an environment where security agencies can truly succeed.
“Without sincerity from the leaders and citizens, and without a practical fight against corruption, we can’t move forward,” he concluded.
The Oyo State Fire Services Agency has recovered three bodies and rescued five persons after a commercial bus plunged into the Ariyo River along Amunloko Road in Ona-Ara Local Government Area of the state on Wednesday.
The incident was confirmed in a statement issued on Thursday in Ibadan, the state capital, by the Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Fire Services and Chairman of the agency, Moroof Akinwande.
Akinwande said the agency received a distress call at about 3:38 pm through a resident, Fadeke Yusuf, reporting that a vehicle had fallen into the river in the area.
According to him, firefighters were immediately deployed to the scene to carry out rescue operations.
He explained that upon arrival, the rescue team discovered that a Suzuki commercial bus with number plate OSUN LEW 484 XA, carrying eight passengers, had lost control and plunged into the river.
Five occupants were rescued alive and rushed to Ona-Ara Private Hospital in the Jegede area for treatment, while three others were recovered dead.
The remains of the deceased were handed over to a team of policemen from the Ogbere Divisional Headquarters led by ASP Aishat Ibrahim.
Akinwande attributed the accident to reckless driving.
He added that officials of the Oyo State Road Traffic Management Authority from the Ona-Ara Division and the Chairman of Ona-Ara Local Government, Glorious Temitope, were present during the rescue operation.
The fire service boss urged motorists to drive with caution and adhere strictly to road safety rules to prevent avoidable accidents.
UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, has warned that violence against women and girls continues to be fuelled by war, militarisation and entrenched inequality, urging governments to move beyond condemnation and take decisive action.
Speaking at a high-level meeting marking five years of the UN Group of Friends for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls, she said conflicts around the world are exposing women and girls to severe and lasting harm.
The UN deputy chief spoke on the sidelines of the ongoing 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women at UN Headquarters in New York on Thursday.
CSW is the United Nations’ principal global body dedicated to promoting gender equality and the rights and empowerment of women.
Established in 1946 by the UN Economic and Social Council, the Commission plays a central role in setting global standards on women’s rights and reviewing progress on gender equality
According to the UN, more than 4,500 cases of conflict-related sexual violence were verified in 2024, although the true number is likely far higher due to stigma, fear and collapsed reporting systems.
The deputy secretary-general pointed to alarming patterns in several crises. In Sudan, UN experts have reported widespread sexual violence and attacks on women human rights defenders.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a child has been reported raped every half hour, while in Haiti, sexual violence against children surged dramatically in recent years.
Mohammed stressed that women must be central to peace processes and political decision-making, warning that lasting peace cannot be achieved while women and girls remain excluded and unprotected.
In a related development, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said he was appalled by the devastating impact on civilians of increasing drone attacks in Sudan, amid reports that more than 200 civilians have been killed by drones since March 4 alone, in the Kordofan region and White Nile state.
“It is deeply troubling that despite multiple reminders, warnings and appeals, parties to the conflict continue to use increasingly powerful drones to deploy explosive weapons with wide-area impacts in populated areas,” the High Commissioner said.
He renewed his call for both sides in the brutal civil conflict between rival militaries to fully abide by international law, “particularly the clear prohibition on directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects and infrastructure, and against any form of indiscriminate attacks.”
In West Kordofan, at least 152 civilians have reportedly been killed by Sudanese army drone strikes, including at least 50 when a market and a hospital were hit.
Attacks on two separate markets in Abu Zabad and Wad Banda on March 7 left at least 40 civilians dead, and a lorry carrying civilians was struck allegedly by a SAF drone on 10 March, reportedly killing at least 50 civilians.
In South Kordofan, at least 39 civilians were reportedly killed, including 14 in the state capital Dilling, in heavy artillery shelling by the Rapid Support Forces and allied SPLM-North between 4 and 5 March.
Many homes, schools, markets and health facilities were damaged or destroyed in the attacks, compounding the impacts on civilians and local communities.
The High Commissioner also expressed alarm at the recent expansion of the conflict to White Nile state, which has come under heavy attack by RSF militia drone strikes since 4 March. A secondary school and a health clinic in Shukeiri village were hit on 11 March, reportedly killing at least 17 civilians, one of them a health worker.
“It will soon be three full years since the senseless conflict in Sudan began, devastating millions of lives and livelihoods. Yet the violence, fueled by these new technologies of war, simply keeps spreading,” Türk said.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, which opens on Monday, will end on March 19.
Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organisations from all regions of the world, including Nigeria, are attending the session.
The priority theme of the session will be ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls, including by promoting inclusive and equitable legal systems, eliminating discriminatory laws, policies, and practices, and addressing structural barriers.
President Donald Trump said that he thinks new Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, whose father, the former supreme leader, was killed on the first day of the US and Israel’s war on Iran, is alive but “damaged.”
Khamenei has not been seen by Iranians since his selection on Sunday by a clerical assembly, and his first comments were read out by a television presenter on Thursday.
“I think he probably is (alive). I think he is damaged, but I think he’s probably alive in some form, you know,” Trump said in an interview on Fox News’ “The Brian Kilmeade Show.”
His remarks were published by Fox News late on Thursday.
In Khamenei’s first comments, he vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz shut and called on neighboring countries to close US bases on their territory or risk Iran targeting them.
The US and Israel began attacks on Iran on Feb. 28.
Iran has responded with its own strikes on Israel and Gulf countries with US bases.
As the war approached the two-week mark, having killed thousands and shaken financial markets, the leaders of Iran, Israel and the United States all voiced defiance and have vowed to fight on.
