The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has attributed the worsening security situation in Nigeria to increasing terrorist activities and jihadist movements across the Sahel region.
Speaking to journalists after a closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu on Friday, General Musa explained that the president is actively upgrading the country’s security infrastructure to better address the crisis.
“Our meeting today was to review the entire security situation in the country.”
“The president is concerned about what is going on, and we have assured him that we are working very hard to address the security situation,” he stated.
General Musa emphasized the regional dimension of the crisis, pointing to cross-border threats.
“What has happened recently is that there is a global push by terrorists and Jihadists all over the Sahel area, and that pressure is what actually came into Nigeria because of the nature of our borders.”
He appealed to Nigerians to support the Armed Forces and report any misconduct, including those committed by security personnel.
“You will always want to wonder why some individuals are happy with things going bad in their country. If Nigeria is destroyed, all of us will go down, so we must work with the Armed Forces and security agencies.”
“If you see something going wrong, let us report it, even our own personnel. If you see them doing anything wrong, please report them, and action will be taken.”
The Defence Chief disclosed that President Tinubu has directed enhanced collaboration with neighboring countries to tackle the regional security threats.
“Mr. President has given us a directive to collaborate with all of sister countries because it is pressure at the borders that is aggravating our issues on ground.”
“So all our theatres have been enhanced, and equipment have been bought. Mr. President has also given us approval for air assets and other assets of security,” he noted.
He also stressed the importance of combining military operations with non-kinetic strategies.
“Just like we said, it is not just the kinetic efforts that are vital, but also the non-kinetics as well.”
On the home front, the president is engaging state governors to ensure the security strategy reaches the grassroots.
“We are working with all the governors because we know we cannot do it all alone, and that is why we are calling on the governors to be part of it.”
“The state government, local, and communities need to come on board. Everyone has a role to play to ensure that there is peace in Nigeria,” he said.
He also warned against misinformation, urging citizens not to fall for fake content online.
“We want to appeal to all Nigerians not to get tired, and they should be wary of fake news. Most of the videos being circulated are videos from other countries and they are old videos,” Musa cautioned.
Despite the challenges, General Musa expressed confidence in the Armed Forces and the resilience of the Nigerian people.
“We are happy that Nigerians are warming up to it and disregarding the naysayers who do not mean well for us, and we are shaming them because we are going to succeed. We are assuring all Nigerians,” he concluded.
