ONSA Commences 5-Day Emergency Response Drill in Delta
The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has commenced a five-day multi-agency crisis response exercise in Delta State to assess and strengthen Nigeria’s preparedness to manage complex emergencies and security-related incidents.
The exercise, codenamed Rapid Response 3 Crisis Response Exercise 2026, began in Asaba on Monday and will run through Friday, September 11. It brings together relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies involved in national crisis management.
The Director, Presidential Command and Control Centre, ONSA, Rear Admiral Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday.
He said the exercise was designed to test existing crisis response plans, procedures, coordination mechanisms and operational capabilities of participating agencies, while identifying gaps that could undermine effective emergency management.
“Rapid Response 3 is the codename of the 2026 crisis response exercise organised by the Office of the National Security Adviser. The exercise is a scheduled multi-agency simulation exercise designed to evaluate and strengthen Nigeria’s preparedness and capacity to respond effectively to complex emergencies and security-related incidents,” he said.
According to him, the exercise would strengthen inter-agency cooperation, communication, command and control, rapid deployment and the effective management of crisis situations.
Ayo-Vaughan explained that participating agencies would operate across the three established command levels—Gold, Silver and Bronze—in accordance with the National Crisis Management Doctrine.
He said the scenarios had been carefully designed to assess the ability of the agencies to respond swiftly, coordinate operations and effectively manage the consequences of a crisis.
The ONSA official stressed that the exercise was being conducted in a controlled environment and should not be mistaken for an actual emergency or security incident.
“This is the first time the Office of the National Security Adviser is conducting the Crisis Response Exercise outside the Federal Capital Territory. All these have been made possible by the support of the Governor.
“The locations for this exercise were carefully selected to depict realism. Several reconnaissance [missions] were conducted to evaluate the suitability of the identified venues for seamless delivery of the exercise,” he said.
Exercise to run in four phases
Read Also:
Ayo-Vaughan said the exercise would be conducted in four phases over five days.
He explained that the first two days would focus on enabler training, Thursday would serve as the main exercise day, while Friday would be dedicated to an after-action review and assessment of lessons learnt.
Observations from stakeholders, observers, exercise planners and commanders would be documented and used to improve future crisis response exercises, he added.
ONSA warns against panic
The ONSA official urged residents and members of the public not to panic, noting that significant movements of security vehicles, personnel and emergency response teams would be witnessed within designated areas during the exercise.
He said members of the public had been adequately informed through SMS and radio messages to enable them distinguish the simulation activities from genuine emergencies.
“There will be heavy movements of security vehicles, personnel, emergency response teams, and other exercise-related activities within designated areas. These activities are part of the simulation and should not be misconstrued as an actual crisis.
“Accordingly, members of the public have been adequately informed through SMS and radio messages on the exercise and are advised not to panic during the exercise,” he said.
He also appealed to the media to rely only on verified information and avoid publishing unconfirmed reports capable of generating unnecessary fear or public disorder.
“The media has an important role in the success of this exercise. Please report only verified information and avoid disseminating unconfirmed reports or information capable of causing public panic,” Ayo-Vaughan said.
He added that only accredited media personnel would be allowed to cover the exercise to ensure responsible reporting in the interest of national security and public safety.
According to him, adequate safety and security measures had been put in place to protect participants, observers, accredited journalists and members of the public within the designated exercise areas.
Ayo-Vaughan described the exercise as an important opportunity to evaluate Nigeria’s collective preparedness, improve inter-agency coordination and identify weaknesses requiring attention in the country’s crisis management architecture.
“The 2026 Rapid Response 3 Crisis Response Exercise provides an important opportunity to assess our collective preparedness, strengthen inter-agency coordination and identify areas requiring further improvement in Nigeria’s crisis management architecture,” he said.
By PRNigeria
