Philomina Brando
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced major changes in the leadership of Nigeria’s Armed Forces, in what the Presidency described as part of efforts to strengthen national security and enhance command efficiency.
The shake-up, announced Friday in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, takes immediate effect.
Under the new appointments, General Olufemi Oluyede replaces General Christopher Musa as Chief of Defence Staff; Major-General W. Shaibu becomes the Chief of Army Staff; Air Vice Marshal S.K. Aneke assumes office as Chief of Air Staff, while Rear Admiral I. Abbas is the new Chief of Naval Staff. The Chief of Defence Intelligence, Major-General E.A.P. Undiendeye, retains his position.
Dare said the appointments were a routine administrative exercise, adding that the President acted within his constitutional powers as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
“It is routine. The President, as the Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic, can make such appointments just as he changed ministers a few months ago,” Dare stated.
In a post on his verified X handle, @officialABAT, President Tinubu said the changes were part of efforts to recalibrate the nation’s security architecture.
“I have approved changes in the hierarchy of our Armed Forces to further strengthen Nigeria’s national security architecture. I charge the new Service Chiefs to deepen professionalism, vigilance, and unity within our Armed Forces as they serve our nation with honour,” he wrote.
He commended the outgoing Service Chiefs for their “patriotic service and dedicated leadership,” urging their successors to justify the confidence reposed in them.
Although routine, the reshuffle comes amid heightened speculation of discontent within the ranks and renewed rumours of alleged coup plots reports repeatedly dismissed by the Defence Headquarters (DHQ).
Earlier in February, the DHQ had condemned reports of a coup alert involving the Guards Brigade as “malicious and unfounded.” Similar rumours resurfaced in October 2025, alleging arrests of officers plotting to topple the government. The Defence authorities clarified that the development was “purely disciplinary,” linked to internal administrative breaches, not an attempted coup.
Security analysts say the frequency of such reports underscores growing public unease amid economic hardship and eroding institutional trust.
“The coup rumours are less about soldiers planning a takeover and more about the national mood,” a retired security official noted. “They reflect fragility in public confidence and faith in governance.”
Meanwhile, Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, has urged the Federal Government to urgently review the Nigerian Air Force’s safety protocols following new threats from terrorists deploying drones to attack military bases in the North East.
Speaking on Friday in Mafa, his hometown, Zulum warned that Boko Haram insurgents had begun using drones to target troops and military assets in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.
“This signals a dangerous escalation in the capabilities of the terror group,” the governor said. “The Boko Haram terrorists used drones to attack the Dikwa military formations established since 2014 to contain insurgents from the Wulgo Forest.”
Zulum described the development as “frightening,” noting that it exposed vulnerabilities in Nigeria’s airspace security and called for urgent reinforcement of surveillance systems.
He urged residents in border communities with Chad and Cameroon to remain vigilant and report credible intelligence to security agencies, while commending the resilience of the Civilian JTF in supporting counter-terrorism efforts in the region.
The Presidency reiterated that the Armed Forces remain committed to defending Nigeria’s unity and constitutional order, stressing that “fake reports of coups are as dangerous as coups themselves” because they erode public trust and national cohesion.