Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (rtd.), has said Nigeria’s security situation has improved significantly, with major terrorist attacks declining while kidnapping has emerged as a more prominent threat.
Musa made the assertion at the second Policy Colloquium organised by the Ministry of Defence in collaboration with Saban Media Services in Abuja, and later during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
“Frankly speaking, we have defeated terrorists because now, as I said, the attacks are not as rampant, and it is now kidnapping,” Musa said.
The minister said Nigeria was “very well safer” today than it was in 2023, attributing the improvement to sustained military operations, intelligence gathering, technology and enhanced surveillance.
“I can tell you there is improved security. Maybe if you noticed, you don’t hear so much of Boko Haram attacks, ISWAP attacks and all these things here and there, maybe one-off,” he said.
According to Musa, security threats can evolve from criminality to kidnapping, terrorism and insurgency, while sustained military pressure can force criminal groups towards less sophisticated forms of crime.
“From criminality to kidnapping to terrorism, insurgency; once you can hit them, it goes back downwards. So, we are now back into the stage of abductions and kidnappings because that is the easiest way for them to try and raise money,” he said.
Musa said troops were increasingly penetrating terrorist enclaves to rescue abducted persons while continuing operations aimed at weakening terrorist groups.
The minister also reiterated that paying ransom to kidnappers is a criminal offence and stressed that ransom payments are not part of the Federal Government’s policy.
“We are not paying. We don’t encourage ransom.
“Anybody who is even paying ransom is committing an offence. It’s not a government policy to pay ransom to anybody,” he said.
He said the government was deploying surveillance and tracking systems to close security gaps along Nigeria’s largely unmonitored borders, which he said criminal networks exploit to move personnel, weapons, fuel and other supplies.
“We now have systems in place to track activities. We’re doing everything possible to close the gaps, deploying technology to be able to react and respond very fast,” he said.
However, Musa maintained that military operations and technology alone would not be enough to end insecurity without cooperation from local communities.
He urged Nigerians, particularly residents of vulnerable and border communities, to stop providing criminals with fuel, motorcycles, food, water and other forms of logistics.
“One area I will appeal to Nigerians is to stop giving the criminals any logistics. Imagine they can’t get fuel, they can’t get motorcycles, and who is supplying them food, water and so on? These are the logistics. And they are the ones prolonging this war,” he said.
