Tinubu Vows No Surrender as Security operation Intensify Terrorists

President Bola Tinubu on Monday, June 8, 2026, vowed that his government would never surrender to terrorists, saying the federal government was intensifying security operations nationwide following a week of significant developments, including the rescue of 360 Boko Haram captives in Borno State and continued operations in response to multiple attacks across the country.

The President’s position was conveyed through a statement from the Presidency, which described the Borno rescue as proof of the Nigerian military’s growing operational capability and intelligence sophistication. Officials said the successful operation was a demonstration of what sustained investment in security and US-Nigeria military cooperation could deliver for Nigerian communities under persistent threat.

Tinubu said the government would continue to fund and empower security agencies to pursue, degrade, and neutralise all terrorist networks operating within Nigeria’s borders. He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and to cooperate with security agencies by reporting suspicious activities, especially in communities near forest reserves and ungoverned terrain that criminal elements exploit as staging grounds.

Security Operations Across Multiple States

The Presidency confirmed that nationwide security operations were ongoing simultaneously across the northwest, northeast, and parts of the southwest and northcentral zones. Troops in Niger State arrested five suspected bandit informants, recovering mobile phones, cash, and propaganda materials. Security forces continued aerial and ground operations in Oyo State’s Oke-Ogun zone in search of the Oriire school abductors. In the FCT, the newly launched Violent Crime Response Unit began operations targeting kidnapping and armed robbery networks.

However, opposition politicians and civil society groups maintained that the government’s security response, while showing some results, remained inadequate to the scale of the crisis facing ordinary Nigerians. The Peoples Redemption Party’s call for President Tinubu’s resignation over insecurity continued to circulate on social media, drawing both support from critics of the administration and sharp pushback from government supporters.

Meanwhile, Bishop Matthew Kukah of the Sokoto Catholic Diocese challenged Nigerians to rethink their understanding of leadership, saying that genuine leadership was about service and sacrifice rather than the accumulation of power. His remarks were widely interpreted as a veiled commentary on the political class. Furthermore, Nollywood actress Hilda Dokubo described herself as tired of government responses to insecurity, saying Nigerians deserved a president who treated the crisis with the urgency it demanded. Notably, first Lady Oluremi Tinubu distributed grants and equipment to over 1,000 traders in Abuja, an action the government framed as part of its grassroots economic empowerment programme. Consequently, the administration is managing simultaneous demands for stronger security on one hand and faster economic relief on the other.

Gombe Highway Approval Hailed

In related news, former Chief of Army Staff Tukur Buratai praised President Tinubu’s approval of the N1.245 trillion dualisation of the Gombe-Biu Highway, describing it as a transformative infrastructure decision for the northeast. In addition, the National Assembly’s Joint Aviation Committee inspected Lagos Airport fire damage, with findings expected to guide urgent repairs to the facility’s infrastructure. As a result, the government is simultaneously managing security operations, infrastructure investments, and a demanding political calendar as it heads toward the second half of 2026.