Author name: Umar Idris Shuaibu

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has announced the redeployment of 27 senior officers in the rank of Air Vice Marshal (AVM), marking the first major command shake-up approved by the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke. The sweeping reform, which takes effect immediately, is aimed at aligning NAF’s command structure with ongoing defence reforms, evolving national security needs, and strengthening operational efficiency across its strategic formations and training institutions. According to a statement by the Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, the exercise reflects the CAS’s commitment to improving decision-making speed, enhancing mission readiness, and reinforcing accountability at all command levels. Read Also: Kogi Police Command Welcomes New Commissioner Naziru Bello Kankarofi  Under the new posting arrangement, AVM Abubakar Abdullahi assumes office as Chief of Policy and Plans at the Air Force Headquarters, while AVM Adeniran Ademuwagun takes over as Commandant of the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), Kaduna. AVM Ibitayo Ajiboye has been appointed Group Managing Director of the Nigerian Air Force Investment Limited (NAFIL) Group of Companies. In operations and intelligence, AVM Precious Amadi becomes Chief of Operations, and AVM Nnamdi Ananaba takes charge as Chief of Air Intelligence. AVM Ebimobo Ebiowe now serves as Superintendent of Standards and Evaluation, while AVM Ahmed Dari becomes Chief of Training. The Transformation and Innovation Branch is now headed by AVM Mohammed Ibrahim, reflecting the service’s increasing focus on technological modernization and digital warfare readiness. In the logistics and engineering sectors, AVM Olufemi Ogunsina now serves as Chief of Aircraft Engineering, and AVM Michael Onyebashi takes command as Air Officer Commanding, Mobility Command. AVM David Pwajok is the new Chief of Communication and Information Systems, and AVM John Ukeh assumes the role of Air Provost Marshal, overseeing internal security enforcement. The administrative cadre also saw major changes. AVM Simon Peter now leads the NAFIL Housing and Construction Company as Managing Director, while AVM Chidiebere Obiabaka assumes duty as Air Secretary. AVM Anthony Martins has been appointed Chief of Administration, and AVM Abubakar Sule becomes Air Officer Commanding, Logistics Command. Similarly, AVM Abdulrasheed Kotun now heads NAF Farms as Managing Director. AVM Edward Gabkwet, the immediate past NAF spokesperson, has been named Chief of Civil-Military Relations, while AVM Osichinaka Ubadike assumes duty as Deputy Commandant of AFIT, Kaduna. Other senior officers — including AVMs Ahmed Bakari, Albert Bot, Idi Sani, Muhammed Suleiman, Jibrin Usman, and Japheht Ekwuribe — have been posted to various defence and joint service institutions to enhance inter-agency coordination and national defence cohesion. Air Marshal Aneke described the redeployment as a strategic effort to balance leadership, sustain institutional reforms, and build an agile, intelligence-driven Air Force capable of addressing Nigeria’s evolving security landscape. The development comes barely 24 hours after the Nigerian Army announced a similar reshuffle involving 27 senior officers, including 25 Major Generals and two Brigadier Generals, signaling ongoing reforms across the nation’s armed forces.

Former Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Muhammad Babandede, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to establish a stronger institutional relationship between the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Immigration Service to enhance national border security and governance. Babandede made the call in an exclusive interview with Migrationwatch magazine, where he drew parallels with the post-9/11 reforms in the United States that brought Customs and Immigration under closer coordination for improved homeland security. He lamented that in Nigeria, both agencies often operate in isolation despite their overlapping responsibilities. “Any time the two agencies are made to come together, one runs away from the other,” he said. Read Also: Lt. Gen. Shaibu Reshuffles Top Army Officers, Appoints New NDA Commandant According to him, the movement of goods and the movement of people are inseparable, especially within the West African subregion. “A person carrying goods and a person travelling are the same, particularly in our region. You cannot separate the movement of goods from the movement of persons carrying the goods,” Babandede stated. He emphasized the need for deliberate collaboration and innovation between the two agencies to tackle transnational crimes effectively. “Both the Immigration and Customs Services should deliberately invest in enhanced partnership and working relationships to achieve effective and efficient national border security and governance,” he said. Babandede also criticized what he described as a “great negligence” in recognizing the critical role of migration in national development. He urged the Federal Government to sustain ongoing reforms in the Nigeria Immigration Service aimed at modernizing border management. “The border is not just a security zone; it’s a cultural, historical, and economic zone,” he noted, calling for the creation of buffer zones and improved cross-border connectivity with neighboring countries. He further stressed the need for Nigeria to adopt a more strategic migration policy that evaluates the impact of migrants on the economy. “Migration is key to our development. Nigeria must invest in the type of people we filter in and the type we filter out. We must analyze the kind of jobs migrants do and how they affect our economy. We need to remove people who are undermining our development,” Babandede reiterated.

The Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) has detained 16 senior military officers, including a Brigadier General, over an alleged plot to overthrow the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. According to top military sources, 12 of the 14 Army officers in custody belong to the Infantry Corps — the Army’s frontline combat unit — while one serves in the Signals Corps, which oversees communications, and another in the Ordnance Corps, responsible for weapons and logistics. The detained officers include Brigadier General Musa Abubakar Sadiq (N/10321), who is alleged to be the suspected leader of the plot. He was previously detained in 2024 for alleged diversion of rice palliatives and illegal sale of military equipment. Read Also: Photos: Senate Confirms President Tinubu’s New Service Chiefs After Security Screening Others on the list are Colonel M.A. Ma’aji from Niger State; Lieutenant Colonel S. Bappah from Bauchi; Lieutenant Colonel A.A. Hayatu from Kaduna; Lieutenant Colonel P. Dangnap from Plateau; Lieutenant Colonel M. Almakura from Nasarawa; and Majors A.J. Ibrahim, M.M. Jiddah, M.A. Usman, D. Yusuf, and I. Dauda from different parts of the country. Also detained are Captain Ibrahim Bello, Captain A.A. Yusuf, Lieutenant S.S. Felix, Lieutenant Commander D.B. Abdullahi of the Nigerian Navy, and Squadron Leader S.B. Adamu of the Nigerian Air Force. Sources disclosed that the officers are being held at a DIA facility in Abuja pending the outcome of investigations. The agency has yet to issue an official statement on the matter, but military insiders say the arrests followed weeks of intelligence gathering on suspicious meetings and communications among the officers. The alleged coup plot reportedly triggered heightened security operations in Abuja, including the raid on the residence of former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, in Maitama. Security operatives reportedly linked a “former South-South governor” to the meetings held with some of the detained officers. Sylva later confirmed the military raid but denied any involvement in a coup plot, describing the operation as “misguided.” Meanwhile, the Defence Headquarters has dismissed claims of a brewing coup, assuring Nigerians of the military’s loyalty to President Tinubu and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Security analysts have described the development as one of the most serious internal probes in recent years, warning that it underscores rising tensions within the security establishment.