Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, on Friday paid a courtesy visit to the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, in what the Army described as a renewed effort to strengthen civil–military relations across the country.
The meeting at the Sultan’s Palace comes amid growing insecurity in several regions, with communities calling for better coordination, transparency, and trust between civilians and security agencies. Against this backdrop, the Army appears keen to lean more on traditional institutions to bridge gaps at the grassroots.
Speaking during the visit, Shaibu said the Nigerian Army was placing renewed emphasis on collaboration with traditional rulers, stressing that community involvement remains critical to tackling the country’s complex security challenges. According to him, peace and stability cannot be achieved through military force alone.
He assured the Sultan that the Army remains committed to working with leaders at all levels to promote national unity, improve intelligence gathering, and foster mutual understanding between soldiers and civilians.
In his response, the Sultan of Sokoto commended the Army for its sacrifices and service to the nation, while also urging continued respect for human rights and deeper engagement with local communities. He offered prayers for the success of ongoing military operations and the safety of personnel deployed to conflict zones.
The visit comes in the wake of heightened international attention on Nigeria’s security situation, following a U.S. Christmas Day airstrike targeting Islamic State militants in the country’s northwest. Weeks earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump had hinted at possible American military intervention if Nigeria failed to act decisively against Islamist groups.
On Thursday, Trump announced that U.S. forces carried out the strike at Nigeria’s request, claiming the militants had been targeting Christians in the region. Local reports said loud explosions were heard in Jabo community on Christmas Day evening, with U.S. officials describing the operation as both a deterrent and a signal of readiness to act where areas are too remote for Nigerian forces to reach.
