Defence Minister Declares Victory in Fight Against Terrorism and Violent Extremism

• Declares attacks no longer rampant 

•Cautions politicians against giving out motorcycles as palliatives, says it aids criminal activities

Nume Ekeghe in Lagos and Linus Aleke in Abuja

The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, has declared victory in the ongoing fight against insurgency and other forms of violent extremism in the country.

These, he added, was because attacks by terrorists and extremist groups were no longer as rampant or brazen as they were in the past.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today , Musa observed that terrorist attacks had drastically reduced, giving way to kidnappings.

Responding to a question on whether Nigeria had defeated terrorists or merely displaced them, the minister said, “Frankly speaking, we have defeated terrorists because now, like I said, the attacks are not as rampant and it is now kidnapping.

“Like I said, kidnapping is a social ill where you now see wives kidnapping husbands and husbands kidnapping children.”

Musa insisted security had improved in Nigeria under President Bola Tinubu, adding that reports of terrorist attacks were no longer as frequent as they used to be.

“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.

“Now, I say, the trajectory is this: from criminality to kidnapping to terrorism, insurgency; once you are able to 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.”

The minister stressed that troops were now moving into the terrorists’ enclaves and recovering many of the abducted individuals.

He, however, cautioned political actors against giving out motorcycles as palliatives, explaining that the motorcycles often ended up in the hands of terrorists, who used them for their nefarious activities.

He said if politicians must give out motorcycles, they should provide low-capacity ones that would not give terrorists an advantage if they get hold of them.

He said, “We try to appeal to politicians to stop giving out motorcycles as palliatives because these motorcycles are still the same ones that will end up with these terrorists.

“Even if you are to give, don’t give them the big-capacity motorcycles; give them the small-capacity ones that they won’t be able to use to run around because that gives them leverage. They can easily enter anywhere and then disappear at the same time.”

Speaking on local government autonomy, Musa emphasised the need to allow local governments to function effectively, stating that the failure of local governments was among the factors aggravating insecurity in the country.

On the 2027 general election, he said insecurity would not derail Tinubu’s campaign for a second term, while defending his inclusion in the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council in charge of security.

Musa insisted that his involvement would not compromise his responsibilities as Defence Minister, stressing that his professional obligation was to Nigeria rather than to any political party.

“I am a professional, I will never succumb to that level (being partisan against opposition). Nigeria is my unit, whatever it takes to protect Nigeria that is what we stand for.

“We want a peaceful election, so we are going to work towards that and we are going to work with all the parties because that is why I am Minister of Defence, to ensure that every security force does what is right.

“So like I said, we are going to support INEC to ensure that the election is free, fair and credible because we want Nigeria to come out of all these election issues. We have gone past that.”