Nuhu Ribadu and patient work of national security by Chido Onumah - ITREALMS

Commentary@ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

When security forces foiled a planned terrorist attack on students writing the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in Kogi State and neutralised the notorious terrorist leader, Kachalla Ibrahim Battijo, the immediate public reaction was one of relief. A tragedy had been prevented. But beyond the operational success lay something equally important: a window into the security philosophy that has increasingly defined the work of National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

At the 15th National Security Seminar organised by the Alumni Association of the National Defence College (AANDEC), in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the National Defence College (NDC) in Abuja, June 16–17, 2026, under the theme, “Strengthening Nigeria’s Border Security Architecture for National Stability,” Ribadu turned attention to the longstanding challenge of porous borders and the risks they pose to national stability. 

The Northern Gaze on Nuhu Ribadu: Security, politics, and weight of expectation by Crispin Oduobuk - Commentary@ITREALMS

Commentary@ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

When Nuhu Ribadu stood at the podium of the Ladi Kwali Hall in January 2006, he was still the celebrated chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. His voice carried the moral urgency of a man who genuinely believed Nigeria could still be rescued through the disciplined application of law.

“Let us speak the truth,” he repeated. “Let us call a spade a spade.”
The audience at the Third Annual Trust Dialogue responded with enthusiasm. Here was a public official who appeared to understand that corruption was not merely a moral defect but a structural affliction. Something primitive. Corrosive. And quite capable of eating through the foundation of a country while the elites argued over symbolism.