“Intelligence is not for TV”: Presidency slams Senator Ndume

The Presidency has fired back at the Senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, warning him to cease the public broadcast of sensitive security intelligence and instead channel such information to the appropriate authorities.

This comes after the lawmaker appeared on national television to allege that terrorists are thriving due to a network of informants within local communities and a lack of “walking the talk” by the Federal Government.

Reports has it that the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, issued the caution on Wednesday, stating that such disclosures on camera could jeopardize ongoing military operations.

Onanuga stressed that while the Senator may have access to credible intelligence, the “market square” is not the place to discuss it. He argued that publicizing the mode of operation of insurgents only serves to alert the criminals.

“If Senator Ndume has credible intelligence about terrorist informants… the appropriate step is to share this with the Chief of Defence Staff or the National Security Adviser, not to discuss it on television,” Onanuga stated.

Senator Ndume, whose constituency remains a flashpoint for insurgency, had earlier expressed frustration on Channels Television, questioning why terrorists who post content online remain “untrackable.”

In a swift rebuttal, the Presidency dismissed claims that the Bola Tinubu administration is not doing enough. Onanuga pointed to several recent milestones aimed at crushing the insurgency in the North-East

The verbal exchange follows the devastating March 16 suicide bombings in Maiduguri, which claimed 23 lives. Since the attack, the military has intensified surveillance, with the Presidency insisting that confidentiality remains the military’s greatest weapon—a weapon they claim Ndume’s public comments are blunting.