President Bola Tinubu has officially requested the House of Representatives to confirm the newly appointed service chiefs.

During Thursday’s plenary, Speaker Abass Tajudeen read the president’s letter, seeking confirmation for the heads of security agencies.

On June 19, 2023, three weeks after his inauguration, Tinubu replaced all service chiefs in Nigeria and directed the new appointees to assume their roles immediately.

The unprecedented shakeup affected several individuals, including the removal of Alkali Usman as the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Lucky Irabor as the Chief of Defence Staff, Faruk Yahaya as the Chief of Army Staff, Awwal Gambo as the Chief of Naval Staff, and Isiaka Amao as the Chief of Air Staff.

Subsequently, the president appointed new service chiefs and designated former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu, as the new National Security Adviser (NSA), replacing Babagana Monguno.

Maj. Gen. C.G Musa was appointed as the Chief of Defence Staff, Maj. Gen. T. A Lagbaja as the Chief of Army Staff, Rear Admiral E. A Ogalla as the Chief of Naval Staff, AVM H.B Abubakar as the Chief of Air Staff, IGP Kayode Egbetokun as the Acting Inspector-General of Police, and Maj. Gen. EPA Undiandeye as the Chief of Defense Intelligence.

Tinubu also appointed Adeniyi Adewale as the Acting Comptroller General of Customs.

All the newly appointed officials have assumed their roles in an acting capacity, pending confirmation by the National Assembly.

This decision by the president was prompted by persistent calls from civil society organizations to revamp the security architecture and introduce fresh perspectives to handle the nation’s security apparatus.

Verifiable data between May 2015 and May 2023 showed that over 55,000 Nigerians lost their lives to terrorists, bandits, and armed gangs during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The alarming number of killings during his tenure drew widespread criticism.

During his inauguration speech, Tinubu, who succeeded Buhari as his party colleague on May 29, 2023, pledged to “defend the nation from terror and all forms of criminality that threaten the peace and stability of our country.”

He emphasized the need to reform the security doctrine and its structure to effectively combat these challenges.

Prior to this, Tinubu had suspended Abdulrasheed Bawa as EFCC chairman and Godwin Emefiele as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).