In a bold step to strengthen public trust and unveil the true state of national security, the National Orientation Agency, NOA, on Monday hosted the maiden edition of the monthly joint security press briefing at its Headquarters in Abuja.
At the event, which brought together top security agencies, coordinated responses to criminal activities, terrorism, trafficking and other threats to national security and how they are being confronted, were unveiled.
Director-General of NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, said the Federal government had escalated tactical reinforcement across the nation, combining intelligence-led strategies with seamless inter-agency collaboration to dismantle criminal operations and reclaim public spaces.
According to him, from the Northeast to the Niger Delta, security operatives are restoring peace one after the other, reiterating that Nigeria is not only fighting back but decisively and collaboratively too.
Significant outcomes of the fight against insecurity highlighted during the briefing included major arrests, rescue operations and asset seizures.
He said security agencies had conducted hundreds of operations, resulting in the rescue of several kidnapped victims, neutralisation of criminals and the dismantling of arms and drug trafficking networks.
Issa-Onilu reported how the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, had recorded large-scale seizures of narcotics, while the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, had resolved hundreds of local conflicts and dismantling of illegal mining and refining sites.
Border security and migration control also featured prominently in the briefing, with Issa-Onilu narrating renewed efforts to curtail irregular migration and human trafficking.
The Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, working with international bodies such as the United Nations, UN, and Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, had reportedly been instrumental to enhancing border vigilance and identity governance.
Issa-Onilu emphasised that Nigeria’s borders are being transformed from gateways to crime into barriers to exploitation and trafficking.
The briefing also provided the platform to report actions taken by security agencies to protect critical infrastructure and natural resources as operatives narrated how they had dismantled illegal refineries, recovered stolen petroleum products worth billions of naira and improved emergency response situations, particularly in fire incidents.
According to the NOA DG, every illegal refinery or act of sabotage is an attack on the economy, urging communities to treat public infrastructure with the same protection they accord their personal property. Humanitarian support and civic engagement were also spotlighted.
Agencies such as the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, said efforts to provide relief materials to displaced persons, promote civic values and tackle misinformation have been continuously sustained.
