Former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa (Rtd.), on Monday visited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, amid heightened national concerns over insecurity across parts of the country.
General Musa, who retired from service on October 24, 2025, arrived the State House at about 7:03 p.m on Monday in a dark-green traditional outfit and was ushered into the President’s office wing by senior security officials.
Although details of the visit were not immediately disclosed, it marked his first public engagement with the President since his exit from office.
His visit comes at a time the Federal Government has declared a nationwide security emergency, following a spike in violent attacks and mass abductions in the North-West and North-Central.
Recent incidents include the abduction of 25 schoolgirls in Kebbi State, 38 worshippers in Kwara State, and over 300 students and teachers in Niger State.
Within 13 days, at least 490 people were reportedly kidnapped across multiple communities.
As part of the new security measures, President Tinubu recently approved the recruitment of 20,000 additional police personnel, the deployment of forest guards, and reinforced protection for learning centres and worship places across vulnerable regions.
Security agencies have also intensified joint operations in identified hotspots.
Meanwhile, another former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (Rtd.), has dismissed widespread claims that repentant Boko Haram members are being recruited into the Nigerian Armed Forces.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Irabor described the speculation as unfounded and impossible, stressing that the military’s recruitment processes do not permit such infiltration.
He said, “How can they be recruited? This does not exist. Before I became CDS, I served as Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, later as Force Commander of the Multinational Joint Task Force, and also as Chief of Defence Training and Operations. At no point was such a thing possible.”
General Irabor further explained that even the most basic vetting procedures, including local government clearance, would prevent any ex-terrorist from entering the military.
He clarified that Operation Safe Corridor, the Federal Government’s deradicalisation and reintegration programme for low-risk repentant insurgents, does not handle military recruitment nor return former terrorists into active military service.
While acknowledging existing gaps in the nation’s security architecture, General Irabor emphasised the need for more manpower, improved equipment, and deeper intelligence capabilities to confront emerging threats.
The Federal Government continues to expand its deradicalisation initiatives as part of wider efforts to address insecurity and restore stability in affected communities.