By Abu Adamu
Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, has defended the recent military airstrike on Jilli in Borno State, insisting that those killed were not innocent civilians but individuals who knowingly supported terrorist operations, even as he paid tribute to fallen soldiers who died in the line of duty.
Speaking during a television interview after a high-level security meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu, the minister maintained that the strike was a deliberate, intelligence-driven operation targeting a long-established logistics hub for insurgents.
“There was no innocent person there. Anybody in that location knew what they were doing. They were there for business with terrorists,” Musa said.
Providing further insight into the operation, the Defence Minister drew from his personal experience serving in the North-East, noting that he had previously operated in areas such as Kukawa, Gudumbali and Monguno as far back as 2018 and 2019. According to him, Jilli had for years been designated a restricted zone due to its strategic importance to insurgent groups.
“That area had been banned for a very long time. It was where those supplying terrorists with fertiliser for IEDs, food, fuel and other logistics used to meet,” he explained, adding that such gatherings were typically brief and designed to evade detection.
He said the military acted on credible intelligence and struck at a time when operatives identified a concentration of such activities.
“We moved based on intelligence. We identified the location, got them at the right time and hit them,” he stated.
The airstrike has, however, drawn criticism following reports of civilian casualties, with rights groups and local sources raising concerns about the conduct of the operation. Musa dismissed such claims, questioning both the figures and the narrative being circulated.
“It is disturbing how people try to twist the narrative to suggest they were innocent people. Nobody in that area was innocent. If any of them were, they would have said so,” he argued.
He described Jilli as an economic hub driven by profiteering from insurgency, where traders knowingly supplied goods to terrorist groups for significant financial gain.
“If you take a bag of rice there, you can sell it for as much as N150,000. The attraction is huge. People deliberately go there to make money, fully aware of who they are dealing with,” he said.
Musa added that individuals transported fuel in large quantities to sell to insurgents, describing the activities as a critical support system sustaining terrorist operations.
“People fill their tanks, go there, empty them, and sell to them. That is what keeps them going,” he said.
The minister reiterated his position that those who provide logistics, funding, or supplies to terrorist groups are complicit in their activities and should not be regarded as civilians under the laws of armed conflict.
“He who supports a terrorist is one of them. His actions enable them to survive, to fight, and to kill others,” he declared.
While acknowledging that some individuals in conflict zones may be coerced into cooperation, Musa drew a clear line between such victims and those who voluntarily engage with insurgents for profit.
“There are those who are forced, and they are victims. But those who willingly go there to do business made that choice,” he said.
He further emphasised that Jilli was not a conventional civilian settlement, noting that it had been evacuated long ago due to persistent insurgent activity.
“Anybody who knows that area understands what it represents. It had been evacuated. So what were people doing there?” he queried.
Musa stressed that dismantling the logistical networks sustaining insurgents remains central to ending the conflict in the North-East, warning that individuals who expose themselves by engaging with such networks risk being caught in military operations.
“These logisticians are the ones sustaining them. Without them, the terrorists cannot operate. If Nigerians collectively refuse to support these groups, this war can end much faster,” he said.
Yesterday , the Defence Minister paid tribute to fallen soldiers, describing them as heroes who demonstrated extraordinary gallantry and upheld their oath to the very end.
“Their lives were defined by extraordinary gallantry. Their sacrifice is a profound proof of their commitment to the peace and security of Nigeria,” he said.
He assured their families and Nigerians that the military remains committed to strengthening national security and ensuring that their sacrifice was not in vain.
“As a nation, we must preserve the values for which they stood—discipline, sacrifice and loyalty. Their legacy must find meaning in a safer and more united Nigeria,” Musa added.