By Our Defence Correspondent
The Nigerian Army has formally declared a decisive shift in its war doctrine, unveiling a multi-domain, intelligence-led and technology-powered strategy aimed at crushing the country’s fast-evolving asymmetric security threats.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Waidi Shaibu, made the declaration on Tuesday while delivering a high-level strategic lecture to participants of National Defence College (NDC) Course 34, warning that Nigeria’s security challenges have outgrown conventional battlefield responses.
Shaibu said the global and national security landscape has fundamentally changed, with traditional state-to-state warfare giving way to complex internal conflicts driven by terrorists, insurgents, bandits, cyber criminals and transnational crime networks.
“These non-state actors deliberately exploit governance gaps, societal fault lines and emerging technologies to undermine state authority and public confidence,” the Army chief said.
According to him, Nigeria’s adversaries thrive on speed, anonymity, adaptability and the targeting of civilians, making rigid and reactive military approaches ineffective.
In response, the COAS disclosed that the Nigerian Army has recalibrated its operational doctrine, force posture and employment of capabilities, moving toward an integrated strategy that cuts across land, air, cyber and intelligence domains.
He said the new approach combines decisive kinetic action with intelligence fusion, inter-agency coordination, joint operations with sister services and sustained international partnerships.
“Our response must be proactive, intelligence-led and collaborative. Military power must be synchronised with technology, whole-of-government coordination and strategic partnerships,” Shaibu declared.
Providing a theatre-by-theatre breakdown, the Army Chief said operations across Nigeria’s geo-political zones are now deliberately tailored to the nature of threats in each region.
In the North-East, sustained counter-insurgency operations have continued to degrade terrorist groups through offensive manoeuvres, intelligence-driven strikes and population-centric stabilisation efforts.
In the North-West, joint operations have intensified pressure on bandit networks, disrupting their logistics, finances and freedom of movement, while strengthening the protection of exposed rural communities.
For the North-Central, Shaibu said stabilisation operations are focused on area domination, civilian protection and containment of communal and militia-related violence, as the Army works to prevent local conflicts from mutating into wider security crises.
The COAS highlighted the increasing role of advanced technologies, improved training regimes and deeper jointness with sister services, noting that these have significantly enhanced situational awareness, operational reach and mission effectiveness.
He stressed that modern national security now extends far beyond territorial defence.
“Security today includes economic resilience, cyber stability, environmental security and human safety,” he said.
Military Action Alone Not Enough
Shaibu cautioned that battlefield success alone cannot guarantee lasting peace, insisting that military operations must be reinforced by effective governance, justice delivery and inclusive socio-economic development.
“Enduring peace is achieved only when security operations are complemented by good governance and opportunity for citizens,” he added.
Addressing the NDC participants, whom he described as Nigeria’s future strategic and operational leaders, the Army chief urged them to embrace integrated, forward-looking security frameworks capable of addressing both the symptoms and root causes of conflict.
He warned against siloed thinking, stressing that modern security threats demand unity of effort across military, political, economic and social domains.
Assurance to Nigerians
Despite the evolving and complex threat environment, Shaibu reassured Nigerians of the Army’s resolve to defend the nation.
“The Nigerian Army remains fully committed to protecting lives and property, defending national sovereignty and securing critical national infrastructure, regardless of how these threats evolve,” he said.
As Nigeria confronts a new generation of security challenges, the message from Army Headquarters was blunt and unmistakable: the battlefield has changed and the Army has changed with it.
