Ex-IG Okiro: FG’s Decision to Scrap Anti-Terror Squad Birthed Boko Haram Insurgency

• The former police chief, who turned 77 last week, says he had monitored Mohammed Yusuf and arrested him multiple times before the sect struck in 2009

Former Inspector-General of Police, Sir Mike Mbama Okiro, has blamed the Federal Government’s decision to dismantle the Police Anti-Terrorist Squad shortly after his retirement in 2009 for the emergence and spread of the Boko Haram insurgency, describing the move as a costly policy error that denied Nigeria the opportunity to stop terrorism before it escalated into a national crisis.

Okiro, who served as IGP between June 1, 2007, and July 24, 2009, and recently marked his 77th birthday, made this revelation in an interview. He said the anti-terrorism unit he established in November 2007 was abandoned following criticism from some quarters, leaving the country vulnerable to the insurgency that erupted weeks after his retirement.

The former police chief, who also served as Chairman of the Police Service Commission from May 2013 to April 2018, said the Anti-Terrorist Squad was created to detect and neutralise emerging terrorist threats. He disclosed that officers of the squad were trained in Israel, Egypt, Sudan and South Africa, countries with known histories of combating terrorism.

Okiro recalled that he had trained the squad operationally to reduce costs and also established a Police Anti-Terrorist Squad Training School in Rivers State, where experts from outside were brought in to teach operatives. He expressed regret that the school no longer exists.

The former IGP said opposition to the initiative came from individuals who falsely alleged that the squad was designed to target members of a particular religion. He recalled that some newspapers wrote editorials against the initiative, arguing at the time that terrorism was not a threat in Nigeria.

“Some people came up and alleged that Okiro has created the anti-terrorist squad to gather members of a particular religion and shoot them as terrorists. Two newspapers wrote editorials on that, claiming there is no terrorism in Nigeria, that I created ATS to give Nigeria a bad name to the outside world,” Okiro said.

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He explained that despite publicly defending the initiative, the Federal Government declined to approve funds required to equip the squad with operational vehicles, communication gadgets and other logistics. However, he still deployed units to Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano and Maiduguri, but some state governors requested the withdrawal of the operatives from their states.

“I retired July 24, 2009. By August to September, Boko Haram had struck in Maiduguri. Since then Nigeria has known no peace. If government had insisted on the ATS and equipped it, the story would have been different today,” Okiro said.

The former police boss disclosed that security agencies had been monitoring Boko Haram founder Mohammed Yusuf before the insurgency erupted, adding that he personally arrested him multiple times.

“I monitored Mohammed Yusuf from Yobe to Maiduguri. I arrested him a couple of times. If government had taken action then, the story would have been different. It is late now. They have spread all over Nigeria,” he stated.

Okiro lamented that Nigeria has not made significant progress in addressing insecurity, stressing that the problem has been with the nation for decades. He cited his experience as Commissioner of Police in Lagos when the Oodua People’s Congress had taken over security because the police had failed.

“We are not making progress. The situation had been bad right from time. We are all Nigerians, let us face facts. The situation has been like this, likewise the economic situation,” Okiro said.

He attributed persistent security challenges to inadequate funding, poor manpower, and obsolete equipment across security agencies. According to him, the police, as the lead agency for internal security, cannot effectively combat crime without modern surveillance technology, reliable communication systems, drones, and other advanced security infrastructure.

“The agencies should be well funded, have manpower, have equipment. The world is so advanced now that you can send drones to fight crime and insecurity, it’s no longer physical security like we have in those days. Nigerians are very intelligent. If they are given what they require they will excel,” he said.

On the 2027 general elections, Okiro urged security agencies to remain neutral and avoid partisanship, warning that interference in the electoral process beyond maintaining law and order could undermine the credibility of the polls.

Reflecting on his policing career, the 77-year-old former Inspector-General recounted how he prevented a violent attack on a son of the late Head of State General Sani Abacha during a high-profile court appearance in Lagos by secretly relocating the trial venue from Igbosere to Ikeja. He described the strategy as one of the defining moments of his career. At the time, the OPC had gathered at Igbosere with cutlasses, sticks, broken bottles and jerry cans of petrol, vowing to kill Abacha’s son.

Okiro, who holds a law degree, also narrated how he reluctantly joined the police after hating the profession as a student union leader at the University of Ibadan. He said he picked the police from six job offers after praying to God for guidance. His father, who wanted him to join the Rivers State Civil Service, initially opposed his decision but later prayed for him.

Ex-IG Okiro: FG’s Decision to Scrap Anti-Terror Squad Birthed Boko Haram Insurgency

The Sun

Is Nigeria’s Electricity Tariff Going Up? FG Finally Breaks Silence

The Federal Government has moved to shut down widespread reports of an impending electricity tariff increase, with the Presidency insisting that no rate hike is planned for any category of grid consumers and that subsidies for lower-usage households will continue. In an official statement issued on Saturday via X, the Special Adviser to the President on Power Infrastructure in the Office of the Vice President, Sadiq Wanka, said recent media coverage had misrepresented remarks he made at an industry event in Lagos on July 22, 2026. Wanka clarified that his presentation at the Asharami Square 3.0 conference focused on investment opportunities in Nigeria’s power sector and the Federal Government’s long-term reform agenda, not an announcement of a tariff increase.

Wanka stated emphatically that there is no planned tariff hike for any grid consumer across any service band and that the government remains committed to protecting vulnerable households through continued tariff support. The presidential aide explained that his comments reaffirmed the tariff policy direction already set out in the National Integrated Electricity Policy, which was finalised in December 2024 and approved by the Federal Executive Council in May 2025. He described it as a long-standing, publicly available policy of gradually transitioning to cost-reflective tariffs, a framework that has already been implemented for Band A electricity consumers who receive at least 20 hours of power daily.

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For all other consumer bands, Wanka stressed that there is no plan to remove subsidies. Instead, the government is exploring how to deliver value and support more efficiently. At the heart of this effort is the Power Consumer Assistance Fund (PCAF), a mechanism established under the Electricity Act 2023 to channel targeted subsidies directly to vulnerable consumers through their electricity accounts or other identity-linked means. The initiative is expected to improve transparency in subsidy administration, ensure support reaches intended beneficiaries, and strengthen investor confidence in Nigeria’s electricity sector.

The clarification comes amid ongoing public concern over electricity costs, particularly following a recent report by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission revealing that the Federal Government incurred a subsidy obligation of N358.32 billion in the first quarter of 2026. According to the report, the government continues to finance more than half of the industry’s generation costs by freezing end-user tariffs at July 2024 rates. NERC noted that the open-ended nature of the current subsidy regime exposes the government to potentially rising financial obligations due to volumetric risk and changes in generation costs.

Wanka further acknowledged the vital role journalists play in policy communication, stating that the administration of President Bola Tinubu supports platforms like Asharami Square that aim to deepen journalists’ capacity to convey the full context of complex policy discussions to the public. The government counts on the continued support of the media in this important national duty, the statement added.

Is Nigeria’s Electricity Tariff Going Up? FG Finally Breaks Silence

ISWAP finance chief surrenders to Nigerian troops with two children in Borno

A senior financial operative of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has surrendered to troops of Operation Hadin Kai in Borno State, alongside two male children, in what the Nigerian Army has described as a significant breakthrough in its sustained campaign against insurgency in Nigeria’s North-East.

The surrender took place on Saturday along the Ladari–Jegarawa–Tunokalia axis of the Gamboru–Wulgo Main Supply Route, where troops of the 3 Battalion under the 24 Task Force Brigade received the insurgent at about 6:45 a.m.

Announcing the development, the Acting Military Information Officer of Operation Hadin Kai, Captain Mohammed Goni, said the latest surrender demonstrates the growing impact of coordinated military offensives and intelligence-driven operations targeting terrorist groups operating across the North-East.

According to the Army, preliminary profiling identified the surrendered suspect as the Chief Finance Operative of the ISWAP enclave at Jubillaram, where he managed the group’s financial operations, logistics and supply chain.

Military authorities said the suspect voluntarily surrendered alongside two male children after sustained pressure from troops disrupted the group’s operational activities and weakened its ability to sustain attacks.

Captain Goni described the development as another major operational success in the military’s ongoing efforts to dismantle ISWAP’s command structure and financial network.

“Troops of Operation HADIN KAI have recorded another major operational breakthrough with the surrender of a senior Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) finance operative, underscoring the sustained impact of ongoing kinetic and intelligence-driven operations across the North East,” he said.

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During the operation, troops recovered one AK-47 rifle, four magazines, 101 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, one motorcycle, and ₦40,000 from the surrendered operative.

The recovered weapons and other items are expected to assist investigators in ongoing intelligence and forensic assessments.

The Army disclosed that the suspect is currently undergoing comprehensive profiling and interrogation to obtain intelligence that could help security forces identify terrorist commanders, logistics routes, weapons caches and financing channels still supporting ISWAP operations.

According to Goni, information obtained from the surrendered operative is expected to strengthen ongoing military operations and facilitate the targeting of remaining terrorist elements across the theatre.

The military also revealed that the surrender comes amid a growing wave of defections, with about 46 terrorists and their family members reportedly laying down their arms in recent days.

Military authorities attributed the increasing number of surrenders to sustained land offensives, precision air strikes and intelligence-led operations that have destroyed several terrorist camps, disrupted supply routes and reduced the operational capacity of insurgent groups across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.

Security experts say the surrender of a senior finance operative represents a strategic gain because financial coordinators play a critical role in sustaining terrorist organisations through funding, procurement of weapons, logistics management and recruitment activities.

They believe intelligence gathered from the suspect could expose financial networks, collaborators and supply chains supporting insurgent operations in the Lake Chad Basin and surrounding areas.

In recent months, troops under Operation Hadin Kai have intensified clearance operations across the Sambisa Forest, Lake Chad Basin, Mandara Mountains and other known terrorist enclaves, leading to the neutralisation of several insurgent commanders, recovery of arms and ammunition, destruction of logistics bases and rescue of kidnapped victims.

Captain Goni said the latest surrender reflects growing disillusionment within terrorist ranks as sustained military pressure continues to weaken the leadership, logistics and operational capabilities of ISWAP.

He added that the development reinforces the military’s confidence that ongoing operations are yielding measurable results in the fight against terrorism.

The Theatre Command reaffirmed its commitment to restoring lasting peace across the North-East and urged remaining terrorists to take advantage of the Federal Government’s non-kinetic initiatives by surrendering their weapons and abandoning violence.

The Army also appealed to residents of communities across the region to continue providing credible and timely intelligence, stressing that public cooperation remains essential to the success of counter-terrorism operations.

The latest surrender is expected to provide valuable intelligence that could further weaken ISWAP’s financial and operational networks while supporting ongoing efforts to restore security and stability in Nigeria’s North-East.

ISWAP finance chief surrenders to Nigerian troops with two children in Borno