Nigeria spends no less than $100,000 (about N150 million) on each medium-range precision weapon deployed by drones, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, has revealed.
Speaking in an interview, Musa described drone warfare as highly capital-intensive, stressing the need for careful and strategic deployment.
“The price of a medium-range precision weapon for a drone is $100,000 for one.
So, if you strike once, that’s $100,000. How much is that in naira? It’s about N150 million. How many can we afford to buy? So we have to be very careful about where we deploy it, to ensure it makes the desired impact,” he said.
The Defence Chief cited a recent operation as an example of effective use of the technology. “Just two weeks ago, we had a successful strike where we killed over a hundred of them and destroyed more than 50 motorcycles.
That was a good strike because the timing was right, we were ready, and the drone was available. We took out the insurgents,” Musa disclosed.
He lamented the absence of real-time satellite technology in Nigeria’s military operations, which he said is critical for modern warfare.
“We need real-time satellite capabilities.
For example, during an ongoing operation, if we can see our commanders and monitor their direction, we can provide input from the control centre. If a particular piece of equipment is moving in one direction and others are deployed elsewhere, we can coordinate.
But we don’t currently have that. And these technologies are extremely expensive because we don’t produce them ourselves. We have to rely on what we can access, and unfortunately, our enemies often take advantage of these limitations,” Musa explained.
The CDS also revealed that Nigerian security forces spent years tracking leaders of the Ansaru terrorist group before locating them. “It’s been a long time.
I believe it started about five or six years ago when combined security forces began tracking them. You know, they kept moving constantly,” he said.
Musa expressed concern that insurgents continue to enjoy protection from some local communities by exploiting religion and kinship ties.
“They make you think it’s about religion ‘we’re just preaching’, ‘we’re your brothers’, ‘we’re not doing anything harmful’.
But their true intentions are different. When the Lakurawas came in, they first established themselves in Niger. Then, those within the border areas saw them and were concerned.
They invited them in ‘come tonight, be our friends, let’s work together, we’ll feed you’. When the locals could no longer sustain them, the terrorists started taxing the people. And when that didn’t work, they turned on them. It’s always the same pattern,” he explained.
According to him, security forces are currently intensifying operations to stamp out the Lakurawa group from the North-West.
The Defence Chief further advocated the inclusion of security studies in Nigeria’s primary school curriculum, arguing that national defence must begin with civic awareness and education.
