By John Paul
Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), has said Nigeria’s greatest security challenge lies in the fact that terrorists and bandits often hide among ordinary citizens, warning that those security forces deployed to protect may sometimes be the very people plotting to kill them.
The Defence Minister said the complex nature of insurgency makes it impossible to defeat terrorism through military force alone, insisting that effective leadership, a comprehensive national database, stronger community engagement, and improved governance are indispensable to ending insecurity.
Musa spoke during the ARISE News Town Hall on State Police, where he defended the military’s operational procedures and elaborated on his recent directive that security operatives should not hesitate to eliminate terrorists and bandits during operations.
He also reiterated that anyone—including security personnel, traditional rulers, religious leaders, or civilians—found aiding terrorists or bandits would be treated as an accomplice.
Explaining the military’s rules of engagement, Musa said members of the Armed Forces receive extensive training before deployment and are guided by strict operational protocols governing the use of lethal force.
“Members of the Armed Forces have their rules of engagement. Once you are deployed for an operation, you are allowed to take out the enemy using standards that are already stipulated in the rules of engagement,” he said.
According to him, soldiers are authorised to use deadly force only when their lives are under immediate threat, when fellow personnel are in danger, or when the lives and property of the communities they are protecting face imminent attack.
The Defence Minister stressed that Nigerian troops are professionally trained to distinguish between terrorists, bandits, and innocent civilians before taking action.
Musa, however, admitted that fighting insurgency remains extraordinarily difficult because the enemy is often embedded within local communities.
“I’ve always said that asymmetric warfare is a very difficult operation because the enemy is within. Conventional warfare is between one state and another—you know who your enemy is. In asymmetric warfare, the individual you think is your citizen, your brother, or your uncle, whom you are protecting, could be the one trying to harm you. That makes it extremely difficult,” he said.
He noted that countries across the world have spent decades battling insurgencies, citing Turkey’s prolonged conflict with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) as an example.
“If you look worldwide, anywhere there is asymmetric warfare, it takes a very long time before success is achieved. In Turkey, for example, they dealt with the PKK for over 40 years. It is only recently that they have begun to make significant progress because they combined kinetic and non-kinetic approaches.”
Musa argued that military operations alone cannot bring lasting peace.
“No country can shoot itself to peace. You must be able to bring the kinetic and the non-kinetic together. I’ve said repeatedly that the kinetic aspect is about 25 to 30 per cent. The non-kinetic aspect—which includes dialogue, discussion, understanding, and working with communities—is equally important.”
He explained that because terrorists often live within communities, the cooperation of local residents is critical to successful counter-insurgency operations.
“These terrorists live within the communities. If the communities are on their side, it makes it difficult for the security forces to win the battle. If the communities are with the security forces, it becomes much easier.”
The Defence Minister urged Nigerians to focus on addressing the root causes of insecurity, saying leadership and governance play a crucial role in determining whether citizens support security agencies.
“We must ask ourselves where we are today and whether we are addressing the factors that brought us here. We are in a democratic setting, and it is about perception. It is about the relationship between the leaders and the led.
“The question is: do the people feel they are being led properly? Why are they not supporting the Armed Forces? Why are they not supporting the government? Those are areas we need to examine if we want lasting solutions.”
Musa called for deeper collaboration among the Armed Forces, federal and state governments, local authorities, traditional institutions, and community leaders, insisting that security is a shared national responsibility.
“It is only when the Armed Forces, the communities, and the government work together that we will make real progress. That is why it is critical for us to keep engaging communities so they understand they have a role to play.”
He said local governments, traditional rulers, and religious leaders must be empowered to provide credible intelligence and encourage residents to report suspicious activities without fear.
The Defence Minister also identified the absence of a comprehensive national citizens’ database as one of the biggest obstacles to effective policing and national security.
“For security agencies and the police to work effectively, we need a database. Abroad, if you commit an offence, it is easier to identify you because they have your fingerprints, your photograph, your signature, and other personal records. They know your address, your vehicles, and other details because they have a proper database.
“Do we have that? What is delaying us from putting those systems in place? We must return to those fundamentals if we want to strengthen our security architecture.”
He further advocated reforms in Nigeria’s justice system and correctional services, arguing that good governance, accountability, and public trust remain essential ingredients in defeating terrorism and banditry.
“This is a whole-of-community, whole-of-society, and whole-of-government effort. What we are dealing with is not unique to Nigeria, but for us to succeed, everybody has a role to play,” Musa said.