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The Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, has approved the redeployment of 65 senior officers of the Nigerian Navy to key positions across the Naval Headquarters, Commands, and Tri-Service institutions, in what officials describe as a major strategic leadership overhaul. The large-scale postings, approved on Thursday, October 30, 2025, reflect the Navy’s renewed drive to strengthen operational efficiency, leadership accountability, and maritime security across Nigeria’s coastal and inland waterways. According to a statement by the Director of Naval Information, Commodore A. Adams-Aliu, the redeployment covers logistics, training, operations, engineering, policy formulation, and command duties, marking a holistic restructuring aimed at enhancing institutional performance. Read Also: Nigeria Pushes Blue Economy Agenda with Seabed Mapping, Hydrography Initiatives Nigerian Navy Launches High-Tech Agricultural Initiative to Boost Food Security Meet Rear Admiral Idi Abbas From Kano, Nigeria’s New Chief of Naval Staff Among the prominent appointments, Rear Admiral Suleiman Abdullahi, formerly of the Defence Headquarters, has been appointed Chief of Logistics at the Naval Headquarters. Rear Admiral Kasim Bushi moves from the Headquarters Naval Training Command (NAVTRAC) to the International Maritime Institute of Nigeria (IMION) as Executive Director, while Rear Admiral Suleiman Dahun, previously at the Naval Headquarters, now serves as Director of Defence Cooperation at Defence Headquarters. Also, Rear Admiral Abdullahi Ahmed, who previously served at the Naval Headquarters, has been appointed Commandant of the National Defence College. Rear Admiral Musa Katagum is now Chief of Operations at Naval Headquarters, while Rear Admiral Fredrick Damtong becomes Chief of Naval Engineering. Similarly, Rear Admiral Abdul-Rasheed Haruna was appointed Chief of Training, and Rear Admiral Jonathan Mamman is the new Chief of Administration. In the Navy’s corporate and support divisions, Rear Admiral Hamza Ibrahim has been named Group Managing Director, Navy Holdings Limited (NHL), while Rear Admiral Saburi Lawal retains his position as Executive Director, Business Development and Evaluation, at the same institution. Other key postings include Rear Admiral Olatunde Olodude as Chief of Policy and Plans, Rear Admiral Abiodun Alade as Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Logistics Command, and Rear Admiral Chidozie Okehie as FOC Eastern Naval Command. Rear Admiral Abubakar Mustapha assumes duty as FOC Western Naval Command, while Rear Admiral Ebiobowei Zipele becomes FOC NAVTRAC. Further appointments include Rear Admiral Mohammed Muye as Commandant, Naval War College Nigeria (NWCN); Rear Admiral Umaru Faruk as Managing Director, Naval Engineering Services Limited; and Rear Admiral Haruna Zego as Managing Director, Nigerian Navy Hotels and Suites Limited. The redeployment also saw Rear Admiral Emmanuel Anakwe posted to the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) as a Moderator, while Rear Admiral Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan was appointed Director, PC4, in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA). Vice Admiral Abbas, in a message to the newly appointed officers, congratulated them on their new roles and urged them to uphold professionalism, discipline, and integrity in the discharge of their duties. “The Nigerian Navy under this leadership remains committed to operational excellence and inter-agency collaboration in safeguarding the nation’s maritime domain,” Abbas said. The appointments take immediate effect as part of broader efforts to consolidate leadership stability and improve Nigeria’s maritime security operations.

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.