KANO — Frontline APC chieftain, Faizu Alfindiki, on Wednesday, hailed the National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, for the significant shift in Nigeria’s approach on tackling security threats in Nigeria.
Alfindiki said Ribadu’s tenure had increasingly placed intelligence, inter-agency coordination, technology and the disruption of criminal financing at the centre of the country’s security response.
He noted that Ribadu’s previous experience in policing and as Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had given him a combination of investigative and intelligence expertise valuable to the national security architecture.
The APC stalwart who addressed newsmen in Kano, explained that one of the notable features of Ribadu’s approach has been the greater reliance on intelligence to identify criminal networks, their commanders, operational bases and channels of communication before security operations are launched.
“Using reliable intelligence allows security agencies to move beyond broad operations and concentrate on specific individuals, locations and networks,” Alfindiki said.
He also credited the NSA with strengthening coordination among the military, police, Department of State Services (DSS), National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and other security institutions, arguing that effective information sharing enables agencies to respond more quickly and precisely to emerging threats.
Alfindiki cited recent counterterrorism operations as evidence of the growing importance of intelligence-driven and technology-enabled security operations.
He particularly pointed to the reported joint Nigeria-US operation against senior ISIS figures in the North-East as an illustration of the value of international intelligence cooperation.
The ex-Council boss said the elimination of prominent criminal commanders, including bandit kingpin Halilu Sububu, could significantly weaken the command, communication and operational structures of violent groups.
He stressed the need to target the financial infrastructure of criminal organisations, noting that kidnapping, trafficking, extortion and other illicit activities provide resources for sustaining criminal operations.
“Ribadu’s experience at the EFCC has reinforced the importance of following the money. If the financial channels are disrupted, the operational capacity of these groups will also be weakened,” he said.
He urged the government to sustain intelligence-led operations, deepen collaboration among security agencies and strengthen international partnerships, arguing that Nigeria’s evolving security challenges require a coordinated response that goes beyond conventional military action.
