Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, Olufemi Oluyede, has announced plans to deploy a new Joint Special Task Force, code-named “Savanah Shield,” to tackle terrorist activities in Kwara State and parts of Niger State.
Oluyede disclosed this on Tuesday, February 10, during the 2026 budget defence session organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Defence in Abuja. He said the Defence Headquarters was intensifying efforts to improve security across the country despite limited resources.
According to him, while security conditions have improved in the North-East, challenges persist in the North-West and North-Central regions.
“We are evolving modalities to checkmate all these challenges within the ambit of the resources that we have. A new set of special forces was trained and drafted to Benue and Plateau; we are about to deploy another joint task force that will cover Kwara and some parts of Niger to ensure that things get better, and it will be named Savanah Shield.
“A joint task commander has been appointed, and we are trying to draw resources from other places to ensure that area is covered,” he said.
Oluyede acknowledged that the armed forces cannot singlehandedly secure the entire country and called for stronger collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
He urged citizens to support intelligence-gathering efforts and avoid collaborating with criminal groups, stressing that national security requires collective responsibility.
Earlier, Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Rep. Benson Babajimi, said the defence and security sector remains central to Nigeria’s development.
“No nation can make sustainable progress without guaranteeing the safety of lives, property and critical national assets,” Babajimi said.
He commended the armed forces for degrading terrorist strongholds and confronting insurgency but emphasised that persistent threats require deeper institutional reforms and improved coordination.
“Their valour and sacrifice, often under extremely challenging conditions, continue to inspire national gratitude.
“However, the persistence of security threats underscores the need for deeper institutional reforms, improved coordination and smarter deployment of scarce resources. The expectations of Nigerians are high, and rightly so. They demand results that translate into safer communities, restored livelihoods and renewed confidence in the authority of the state,” he said.
Babajimi stressed that increased budgetary allocations must translate into measurable outcomes, transparency and accountability, adding that input-focused budgeting without impact is no longer acceptable. He also called for a broader approach to security beyond military operations.
“Issues such as poverty, youth unemployment, illiteracy, weak local governance, misinformation, community grievances and ideological radicalisation continue to fuel insecurity across different parts of the country,” he said.
He advocated a “whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach” that includes strategic communication, community peacebuilding, enhanced cyber defence, improved defence intelligence and stronger border security technology.
According to him, the 2026 defence budget must strike a balance between military operations and long-term peacebuilding initiatives, with attention to personnel welfare, equipment modernisation and the sustainability of ongoing operations.
The committee chairman added that issues such as abandoned projects, procurement inefficiencies and delays in budget implementation must be addressed to ensure improved operational effectiveness.
