* Appointments A Routine Exercise – Presidency
* Terrorists Now Use Drones To Attack Military Bases In N’East, Zulum Warns

President Bola Tinubu on Friday ordered sweeping changes in the leadership of Nigeria’s Armed Forces in a move aimed at strengthening the nation’s security architecture and consolidating command loyalty within the military.

This was even as Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State has urged the Federal Government to urgently review the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) safety mechanisms in protecting lives and property against the lingering terrorism in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, warning that terrorists now use drones to attack military bases in the North East region.

The reshuffle, announced in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, comes amid heightened speculation of discontent within the ranks, and renewed “coup scare” reports that have dominated public discourse in recent days.

However, the Presidency explained that the appointment of new service chiefs by President Bola Tinubu was a routine administrative exercise consistent with his constitutional powers as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

Dare described the reshuffle as part of the President’s ongoing efforts to recalibrate Nigeria’s security apparatus for greater efficiency and effectiveness.

“It is routine. The President, as the Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic, can make such appointments just as he changed ministers a few months ago,” he stated.

Earlier, President Tinubu, while announcing the new appointments on his verified X handle, @officialABAT, charged the newly appointed Service Chiefs to deepen professionalism, vigilance, and unity within the Armed Forces as they serve the nation with honour and dedication.

“I have approved changes in the hierarchy of our Armed Forces to further strengthen Nigeria’s national security architecture. I charge the new Service Chiefs to deepen professionalism, vigilance, and unity within our Armed Forces as they serve our nation with honour,” he wrote.

Under the new appointments, General Olufemi Oluyede replaces General Christopher Musa as Chief of Defence Staff; Major-General W. Shaibu becomes the Chief of Army Staff; Air Vice Marshal S.K. Aneke takes over as Chief of Air Staff, while Rear Admiral I. Abbas assumes office as Chief of Naval Staff. The Chief of Defence Intelligence, Major-General E.A.P. Undiendeye, retains his position.

President Tinubu commended the outgoing Service Chiefs for their “patriotic service and dedicated leadership,” urging their successors to “justify the confidence reposed in them” and to uphold the professionalism, vigilance, and unity that define Nigeria’s Armed Forces.

The statement said, “all appointments take immediate effect.”

Although changes in military leadership are not unusual, the timing of this overhaul follows persistent rumours of alleged coup plots and unease over internal cohesion within the military, claims repeatedly dismissed by the Defence Headquarters (DHQ).

In February 2024, reports circulated that the Guards Brigade, the elite unit protecting the Presidency, had been placed on high alert over a supposed coup plot. But the DHQ swiftly condemned the report as “malicious and unfounded,” while Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, labelled it “unequivocally false” and a “desperate act of disinformation.”

More recently, in October 2025, another wave of rumours alleged that 16 senior officers were arrested for plotting to overthrow the government. Insider sources claimed that the ‘coup plotters’ had perfected plan to strike on October 1, 2025 during the 65th Independence Anniversary parade at the Eagle Square in Abuja. Reason the President allegedly relocated to Lagos and spent 10 days before returning to Abuja.

But the DHQ had since clarified that the matter was “purely disciplinary” and linked to internal breaches and promotion disputes, not an attempted coup.

However, the frequency of such reports has heightened public anxiety and revived memories of Nigeria’s chequered history with military interventions.

Analysts say the recurring coup rumours reflect not so much an imminent threat of tanks rolling into Abuja, but a deeper unease within society, fuelled by economic hardship, insecurity, and eroding trust in institutions.

“The coup rumours are less about soldiers planning a takeover and more about the national mood,” a retired security official said on Friday. “They reveal how fragile public confidence has become, in governance, in the economy, and even in the stability of the state itself.”

Another retired officer said: “The real coup Nigeria must prevent is not one with guns, but one of public despair. When people lose faith in the system, even rumours can shake the foundations of democracy.”

Nigeria’s proximity to countries recently rocked by coups, including Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, adds a regional layer to the tension. Although the Nigerian military has consistently reaffirmed its loyalty to democratic rule, many analysts warn that the “coup contagion” across West Africa cannot be ignored.

Earlier this year, the DHQ reiterated its commitment to constitutional order, declaring: “The Armed Forces of Nigeria remain loyal to the Constitution and the President. We will continue to defend Nigeria’s unity and democratic order.”

Officials have blamed the fast-moving digital information ecosystem for fuelling misinformation. Many of the coup stories originate from anonymous social media accounts before spreading widely across platforms.

For the Tinubu administration, the concern is not only about the veracity of the rumours but also their destabilising effect on public confidence and national cohesion.

As Minister Idris warned in February this year, “fake reports of coups are as dangerous as coups themselves. They create fear, erode trust, and distract from governance.”

For Tinubu, the reshuffle is not only administrative but symbolic – a recalibration of command and a reaffirmation of loyalty amid a climate of uncertainty.

Briefing journalists on Friday at Mafa, his country home, Zulum warned that Boko Haram has commenced the deployment of drones in attacking troops at the military bases in Mafa, Dikwa and Gajino, a border community with Cameroon.

According to him, “this signals a dangerous escalation in the capabilities of the terror group in Borno State.”

The governor expressed grave concerns over the development, emphasising that it underscores the emergence of new threats on people’s lives and property in the North East region.

He lamented the successful use of a drone by the terrorists to target a key military asset, stating that it exposed critical vulnerabilities in the nation’s air space security surveillance.

“This is frightening as the Boko Haram terrorists used drones to attack the Dikwa military formations established since 2014 to contain the influx of insurgents from the Wulgo Forest,” he said.

While urging the border communities with Chad and Cameroun to be vigilant by reporting credible information to the military and other security agencies, he called on the civilian JTF to be resilient in complementing the efforts of the military in the ongoing counter-terrorism operations.