The Presidency has said it cannot rule out the possibility that terrorist agents may be operating within Nigeria's security institutions, including the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Police Force.
Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, made the statement during The Link Up Podcast, a panel discussion hosted by EchoRoom and published on Friday, while responding to questions on whether terrorists have infiltrated the country's military.
According to Bwala, isolated cases involving security personnel linked to terrorist activities have been recorded in the past, making it difficult to dismiss the possibility entirely.
"You cannot rule out the fact that there may be one or two agents in the army or anywhere else," he said.
He added that both police officers and soldiers have previously been arrested in connection with terrorism-related offences.
"Our police officers have been arrested, and soldiers have also been arrested in this kind of thing," Bwala stated.
The presidential aide noted that infiltration of security institutions is not peculiar to Nigeria, citing instances from other countries. He referenced Edward Snowden's role as a contractor with the United States National Security Agency to illustrate that sensitive institutions around the world remain vulnerable to insider threats.
Bwala also disclosed that the government has put measures in place to address potential security breaches but declined to provide details for operational reasons.
"There are measures we're taking, and we don't want people to know," he said.
The headline uses Bwala's exact remark, making it direct, newsworthy and suitable for an SK Blog news post.
