• Says 7,062 operations conducted, 1,487 terrorists killed in two months

The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has launched the Rapid Response 3 (CRE 2026) – a five-day national crisis response exercise in Asaba, Delta State, aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s preparedness and inter-agency coordination during complex emergencies.

It will begin on Friday, September 11, 2026, bringing together Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to test plans, procedures and command structures under the National Crisis Management Doctrine.

In the meantime, ONSA said that security agencies carried out successful coordinated, intelligence-driven operations in July and August as they tackled terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, arms trafficking and other emerging security threats.

Disclosing this in a third-quarter national security update, the Special Adviser to the National Security Adviser on Strategic Communication and Civil Society Liaison, Chido Onumah, said yesterday in Abuja that the security agencies conducted 7,062 operations, neutralising 1,487 terrorists and insurgents and rescuing 777 kidnap victims nationwide.

According to him, 354 suspects were also arrested in the process and firearms, ammunition and improvised explosive devices were recovered.

Speaking on the emergency-readiness exercise, the Director of the Presidential Command and Control Centre (DPC4-ONSA), Rear Admiral Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan, said the Rapid Response 3 will operate across the gold, silver and bronze command levels, and will run in four phases.

The schedule, he said, is “pre-exercise briefing, enabler training for participating components, the main Exercise Day (D-Day), and an after-action review to capture lessons learnt.

“This is a scheduled multi-agency simulation designed to evaluate and strengthen our capacity to respond effectively to complex emergencies and does not represent an actual emergency.”

He stated that it was the first time the ONSA would be hosting the crisis exercise outside the Federal Capital Territory, adding that the move to Asaba was made possible by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s support.

Meanwhile, Onumah, who stressed the need for intelligence-sharing and operational coordination among security and law-enforcement agencies on border management, financial intelligence, emergency preparedness and community engagement, said no institution could singularly secure Nigeria.

Onumah further disclosed that the Nigeria Police Force also arrested 1,334 suspects and rescued 383 kidnapped victims through intelligence-led operations. The police, he added, also recovered 175 firearms and over 3,790 rounds of ammunition while disrupting kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism and gunrunning networks.

Among others, Onumah said the Nigeria Customs Service further strengthened the effort in August with the handover of 399 intercepted firearms and hundreds of firearm components to the NCCSALW, while the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) conducted 2,298 targeted operations within the period, arresting 3,705 suspects and securing 471 convictions.