Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, has rejected assertions that insecurity is deteriorating across Nigeria, insisting instead that the Federal Government is actively containing the situation through sustained military operations and international partnerships. His remarks came during a recorded appearance on Al Jazeera’s “Head to Head” programme with journalist Mehdi Hasan at Conway Hall in London, released on Friday, even as suspected terrorists abducted over 100 women and children in a devastating attack on Ngoshe community in Borno State just days earlier.
Speaking to Hasan, Bwala acknowledged the persistent security challenges facing the country but contextualised them within a global framework of terrorism. “I acknowledge the fact that we have insecurity in Nigeria,” he stated, “and until the hoax narrative of the ‘Christians genocide,’ we began to see back-to-back attacks in the country. For the first two years of the present administration, we experienced substantial peace in Nigeria.” He added that no nation is entirely immune from such threats, noting that “there is no country in the world today that is completely free from insecurity. There are parts of London where you cannot go in the evening.”
The presidential aide defended the administration’s response to renewed terrorist activities, highlighting recent international engagements as evidence of proactive governance. “That is one of the reasons the President travelled to Turkey, where we reached a bilateral agreement to deal with insecurity,” he explained. “That is also why we are cooperating with the United States of America and other countries of the world. The reason is that, since 9/11, terrorism has been a global phenomenon, and every country is involved in it.” When pressed on whether the situation was deteriorating, Bwala remained firm: “I can’t say it is getting worse. As a government, we are working day and night to deal with the situation. I don’t agree to the fact that it is getting worse.”
Bwala’s appearance on the international platform occurred against the backdrop of one of the most significant terrorist attacks in recent months. On Wednesday, suspected Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) militants stormed Ngoshe community in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, abducting more than 100 women and children while killing the town’s chief imam, several community elders, and an unspecified number of soldiers. The assault, which occurred shortly after Muslims broke their Ramadan fast, saw militants first attack a military base belonging to the 82 Division Task Force Battalion before overrunning the community and a nearby Internally Displaced Persons camp. Security sources indicated that the attackers overwhelmed troops due to their numerical strength, subsequently ransacking the town and surrounding bushes while burning armoured tanks and military vehicles.
The Ngoshe attack represents the latest in a concerning pattern of violence that has intensified since late 2024. According to security records and local reporting, terrorist groups have mounted increasingly bold assaults on military installations and civilian communities across Borno State. On March 1, 2026, Boko Haram militants attacked a Forward Operations Base in Mayanti, Bama Local Government Area, killing the commander, Major UI Mairiga, along with three soldiers and a hunter. This followed a February 6 ambush at Auno near Jakana that claimed four soldiers, and a January 5 landmine attack near Bindundul village that killed nine soldiers. Earlier incidents include the January 28 attack on Damasak that killed seven soldiers including a commanding officer, and the January 30 assault on Wajirko community that killed five soldiers and 15 civilians.
Historical data from 2025 reveals a sustained campaign against military targets throughout the previous year. On April 18, 2025, insurgents attacked resettled Yamtake community in Gwoza LGA, killing two soldiers and an unspecified number of civilians. On August 11, 2025, Kirawa town in the same local government area saw three soldiers killed and a female schoolgirl abducted. October 20, 2025 brought the death of Lieutenant Colonel Aliyu Saidu Paiko, commanding officer of 202 Battalion, during encounters with terrorists in Borno State. The military confirmed these losses while stating that operatives attached to 21 Special Armoured Brigade, Operation HADIN KAI, resisted terrorists at Kashimri general area of Bama on October 17, 2025.
Bwala sought to contextualise current challenges by referencing specific counterterrorism achievements and policy declarations. He noted that “six months before that, we arrested leaders of Boko Haram and Lakurawa, and prior to that, we eliminated a number of terrorists.” The US State Department and Embassy had recognised these efforts, he added, even before statements from then President-elect Donald Trump regarding Nigerian security. “We declared national emergency on insecurity six months before Donald Trump’s statement. That was around April or May 2025,” Bwala stated. This timeline aligns with Trump’s November 2025 accusations of “Christian genocide” in Nigeria and his subsequent threats of military intervention, which culminated in US airstrikes against suspected ISIL-affiliated targets in Sokoto State on December 25, 2025.
The presidential aide also addressed the escalating kidnapping crisis, which has evolved into a significant security and economic concern nationwide. “I acknowledge that insecurity related to kidnappings has become a crisis economy,” he admitted, “but much more than that, I know of our government’s efforts in dealing with that insecurity.” He characterised the challenge as multifaceted, stating that “if one understands Nigeria’s geography and the nature of insecurity, one will understand that we are confronting a complex, hydra-headed problem.” Regarding the specific vulnerability of educational institutions, Bwala highlighted the Safe Schools Initiative as a key government response. “Regarding the kidnapping of children, the government has implemented the Safe Schools Initiative, relocating students from remote, insecure areas to state capitals so they can access the education they need safely,” he said.
The Safe Schools Initiative, originally launched in 2014 following the Chibok schoolgirls abduction, has undergone various iterations under successive administrations. The current government’s approach involves physical relocation of students from high-risk rural areas to more secure state capitals, though critics note that this disrupts community structures and creates logistical challenges for families. Early iterations of the programme had relocated approximately 750 pupils to safer institutions by 2015, alongside infrastructure rehabilitation in targeted areas, though momentum reportedly slowed in subsequent years.
Bwala also directed criticism toward Western media coverage of Nigerian affairs, accusing outlets of systematic negative framing. Using the metaphor of a glass of water, he argued that “Western media might see the glass as half empty while Nigerians would see it as half full.” He contextualised current security pressures as fallout from necessary economic reforms. “Before the President took office, we knew the situation in Nigeria. When he decided to take bold steps to place the country on a better trajectory, we were well aware of the fact that it was going to incense lots of people,” he stated.
The humanitarian implications of ongoing insecurity remain severe. According to the United Nations Population Fund’s April 2025 situation report, the humanitarian crisis in North-East Nigeria continued deteriorating due to escalating conflict and rising insecurity, particularly in Borno and Yobe States. Armed insurgents intensified attacks, imposed levies on communities, and triggered mass displacements, increasing civilian casualties and disrupting access to essential services. The report noted that 7.8 million individuals remained affected, with women and girls comprising a significant portion and facing heightened protection risks. UNFPA documented 6,504 individuals accessing sexual and reproductive health services through supported facilities, while 2,613 received gender-based violence services including case management, psychosocial support, and legal assistance. However, the agency faced a severe funding shortfall, having received only 1 million of the 15.1 million required for 2025 operations, representing just 6.6 percent of total needs.
Security analysts attribute the resurgence of Boko Haram attacks on military locations to ongoing operations in Sambisa Forest, the Mandara Mountains, and the Lake Chad general area. Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South, has called for improved military operations specifically targeting these strongholds and criticised the inability of the military to maintain stationed attack helicopters or fighter jets in the Northeast as a significant operational setback. Following the Ngoshe attack, Ndume confirmed that the General Officer Commanding 7 Division, Brigadier-General Ugochukwu Unachukwu, and the Brigade Commander of Gwoza visited the community to ensure restoration of civil authority, while liaising with the Borno State Emergency Management Agency and Gwoza LGA Chairman to provide relief items to displaced persons sheltering in Pulka community.
The military has reported retaliatory strikes following recent attacks. Military sources indicated that Nigerian Air Force surveillance aircraft tracked terrorists from the Ngoshe assault along known escape routes, conducting precision strikes that reportedly killed over 50 militants. However, the effectiveness of such aerial responses remains debated among security observers, particularly given the continued ability of insurgents to mass sufficient forces to overrun fortified military positions.
Nigeria’s security architecture continues to grapple with multiple concurrent threats beyond Boko Haram and ISWAP. The Lakurawa group, operating in the Northwest and North-Central regions, has emerged as a significant hybrid threat combining banditry with extremist ideology. Active in Sokoto, Kebbi, and Niger states, the group has established parallel governance structures, appointed local imams, levied taxes, and enforced strict religious practices on villages. With an estimated 2,000 members and growing, Lakurawa has expanded into the tri-border area with Niger and Benin, complicating regional security cooperation given diplomatic tensions following Niger’s 2023 military coup. Nigerian operations against Lakurawa intensified from late 2025, including air strikes that mistakenly killed 10 civilians in December 2025 when secondary explosions occurred at a munitions hideout in Sokoto State villages.
The government’s security strategy increasingly relies on international partnerships, including the recent bilateral agreement with Turkey and continued cooperation with the United States. However, these relationships have faced strain, particularly following Trump’s November 2025 designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” regarding religious freedom and his subsequent threats of unilateral military action. Nigerian officials, including Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar, have consistently rejected allegations of “Christian genocide” while maintaining openness to security assistance that respects national sovereignty. The December 2025 US airstrikes, conducted with Nigerian cooperation according to official statements, targeted suspected ISIL elements in northwest Nigeria, though analysts noted the complexity of conflating distinct conflict dynamics in different regions of the country under a single religious persecution narrative.
As the Tinubu administration approaches its third year, the gap between official assessments of security progress and ground realities in conflict-affected communities remains a central governance challenge. While Bwala maintains that “we are working day and night to deal with the situation,” the continued ability of insurgent groups to conduct mass abductions, kill military personnel, and displace communities suggests that substantial obstacles persist in translating policy declarations and international agreements into measurable security improvements for ordinary Nigerians.
