In a decisive move to bolster security in Nigeria’s South-West region, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, has issued a direct and forceful charge to troops of the 2 Division, Nigerian Army. During his maiden operational visit to Odugbo Barracks in Ibadan on Monday, December 22, 2025, Gen. Shaibu commanded personnel to intensify operations with the explicit goal of flushing out bandits, kidnappers, and all criminal elements from their area of responsibility.
The directive, announced by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Appolonia Anele, signals a strategic escalation in the military’s approach to the region’s security challenges, which have seen a troubling rise in criminal activities impacting rural communities, major highways, and farmlands.
A Command for Aggressive, Proactive Action
While commending the troops for their existing resilience and professionalism, the COAS’s core message was one of forward momentum. “I commend you for your commitment and urge you to sustain the tempo,” he stated, following a briefing on ongoing operations. His subsequent orders left no room for ambiguity regarding the new operational posture:
- Take the Fight to the Enemy: Troops are directed to proactively “go after” criminals in their hideouts, moving beyond reactive defense to offensive, intelligence-driven operations.
- No Sanctuary: Gen. Shaibu emphatically declared that “no location must be considered inaccessible,” ordering pursuits into “bushes, forests and wherever they are hiding.” This is a critical shift, as rugged terrain has often been exploited by criminal groups as a safe haven.
- Clear Objective: The mandate is to “reduce these criminal activities to the barest minimum and restore safety” across the South-West. This establishes a measurable goal for the division’s campaign.
Context: The Security Landscape of the South-West
The COAS’s charge is not made in a vacuum. The 2 Division’s area of responsibility, encompassing states like Oyo, Osun, Ondo, and parts of Kwara and Ekiti, has faced complex security threats. These include:
– Banditry & Kidnapping: Attacks on interstate travel routes and remote communities for ransom.
– Farmers-Herders Conflicts: Clashes that have sometimes devolved into criminality and communal violence.
– Transnational Crime: Potential linkages to wider criminal networks involved in arms and drug trafficking.
The army’s intensified role highlights the multi-agency effort required, often in collaboration with the police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and local vigilante groups under the Amotekun corps.
The Welfare-Morale-Operations Nexus
Recognizing that operational success is inextricably linked to troop welfare, Gen. Shaibu made significant concurrent announcements. He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to soldiers’ well-being, explicitly linking “high morale” to “operational success.” As a tangible demonstration, he approved renovations and the construction of new accommodation within the barracks to ease acute housing pressures—a long-standing issue affecting service personnel and their families.
This dual focus on kinetic action and welfare is a modern counter-insurgency principle. It aims to ensure that troops are not only motivated to fight but are also properly supported, reducing vulnerabilities related to low morale. The COAS also urged troops to maintain discipline and professionalism, underscoring that public trust is paramount in such internal security operations.
Strategic Implications and Public Assurance
By reiterating that the “protection of lives and property” is the army’s core mandate, the COAS sent a strong reassurance to law-abiding citizens in the region. His vow that “criminal elements would not be allowed any safe haven” is a public pledge of security and a deterrent warning to malign actors.
This visit, featuring operational briefings and direct interactions with officers and soldiers, serves multiple purposes: it assesses frontline readiness, communicates strategic intent directly from the top, boosts morale, and publicly demonstrates high-level command attention on the South-West security situation. The coming weeks will be crucial in observing how the 2 Division translates this charge into sustained, effective operations that bring tangible peace to the region.
Reported by Sumaila Ogbaje for the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). Edited by Yakubu Uba.
