Nigeria’s Defence Minister and former Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa, has said the country is making steady progress in its fight against insecurity, assuring citizens that the military is gaining ground against insurgent groups.
Speaking during an interview with ARISE NEWS on Tuesday, Musa urged Nigerians to remain supportive of both the armed forces and the government.
“We’re winning, definitely we’re winning. We’ve had a number of casualties; it is war that is ongoing. And that’s why it’s important for us to remain alert, continue to support the armed forces, continue to support the government so that we can win,” he said.
Addressing the recent air strike in Jilli, Borno State, the Defence Minister maintained that the location had long been identified as a restricted zone used by insurgents and their collaborators for logistics.
“That area had been banned for a very long time because the den where they use to meet normally with people that supply them with fertilizer for IEDs—they give them food, fuel, and all these issues—and normally they operate at a very short time and disappear. Unfortunately for them, then that day we were able to see them and were able to take a strike. And you know, it’s really disturbing when you hear how people want to change the narrative to make it look as if they were just innocent people. Nobody in that area was innocent, none of them. And I can attest to you that if any of them is innocent, they would have said it,” he stated.
He noted that despite repeated warnings, civilians continued to visit the area due to the lucrative nature of trade with insurgents.
“They knew why they were there. They were making “big business,” I tell you. If you take a bag of rice in that area, you sell it for about 150,000. The money is much, so the attraction is so much. People buy fuel, take a full tank, go there, empty it, and sell to them, and they make so much money. So the attraction is for them to make business, and that’s what keeps them going. That’s what we’ve warned, and these are areas we’ve told them: there’s nobody there. What are you doing there? What kind of business? Who are you doing business with? Those are the answers they should tell,” Musa added.
On the broader security outlook, the minister described the situation as a turning point rather than a crisis, insisting that progress is being made.
“It’s a turning point. We’re winning the war. I mean, no matter what impression people want to have, we’re winning the war. We will continue to win.”
He acknowledged recent losses of senior military personnel, attributing them to the complex and dangerous nature of asymmetric warfare, often compounded by informants and local collaborators.
“That’s why I said that we’re fighting a war and we’re fighting a determined enemy who is getting the support from outside and who has nothing to lose. The worst enemy you can fight is somebody who is from within, somebody who has nothing to lose. And to them, because it was ideological, they feel if they die, they’re going to heaven; if they kill somebody, they’re going to get blessed. So they take any risk. And again, very unfortunate that we lost very wonderful officers, because these were deliberate attacks.”
Musa further explained that insurgents often rely on intelligence from local collaborators to overwhelm smaller military units.
“And what they do is these same individuals that people say are civilians are the ones telling them that ‘this unit you have only 20 soldiers,’ so what they do, they come over 200. So what they try is they try to run through because of the information they’re getting from those informants or logisticians that help them. So that’s why I’m saying asymmetric warfare is a very difficult operation, because once they have this support, it makes it a lot easier for them.”
He also identified improvised explosive devices (IEDs) as a major cause of casualties among troops.
“And why we take a lot of casualties again is because of IEDs. IEDs are implanted on the ground. Like the issue of the commanding officer that died in Monguno, it was an IED.”
Responding to concerns about military equipment and maintenance, Musa dismissed suggestions of negligence, emphasising the professionalism of officers on the field.
“So you know, when you look at it and you say ‘due to poor maintenance,’ that location was the location that was his—the commanding officer, the brigade commander that died—that was his own location. He’s the one taking care of the maintenance; he’s the one taking care of the men on the ground there. So, not to play a blame game, I don’t think he’s that kind of person. He’s somebody I know quite very well; like a godson. It’s very painful that we lost somebody like that who has so much capacity. But again, like I said, it is war. The number that came out was really overwhelming, and I think probably that’s what added to it.”
He maintained that soldiers are deployed with reliable weapons and that routine maintenance remains a priority.
“Normally what they say is, you know what we call our rifles, ‘our wives.’ That is your most reliable weapon, and it is the way you take care of it; it gives you the best. So that’s why normally when you go there, you have to clean your rifle consistently.”
Highlighting recent successes, Musa said the military had neutralised dozens of insurgents, though such gains often receive limited public attention.
“And I can tell you one thing I realized is, sometimes we make gains—I give you an example, just about three or four weeks ago, we killed over 80 terrorists with their high commander. We took over four or five of their main commanders, and that’s why they planned this one, because they wanted to take one of our commanders because we’ve killed about five of their own top commanders. So you see, those are the things that they planned for. And with the killing of over 80, you didn’t hear so much noise about it. How many people talked about it? Nobody. So it seems as if when we win, it’s just normal.”
He urged Nigerians to recognise the sacrifices of military personnel.
“And it seems as if when one soldier, one officer is killed, the escalation is so high. When we kill a hundred, it’s muted. I think people should understand that these guys are sacrificing their lives for this country, and for whatever it is, let us give them accolades when they deserve it. Let’s sympathize with them, let’s empathize with them, let’s support them in whatever it is we’re doing.”
On funding and equipment, the minister pointed to financial constraints and reliance on foreign procurement.
“Everything costs money. Everything we’re buying has to do with foreign exchange. The country… not everything goes into defense. So what we’re saying is that because we don’t even produce these equipments that we need—though now we’ve started producing gradually, but it will take a long while.”
He added that military cooperation with the United States remains ongoing.
“That’s going on, the training now. So a lot of training is ongoing to be able to build up. Capacity building takes a lot of time. That aspect is ongoing, and I think it will take time, but very soon, I’m sure those things are going to come up.”
On the Jilli operation, Musa reiterated that the strike was based on credible intelligence and targeted individuals linked to insurgent activities.
“It was correct intelligence. We moved in, we got them at the right time, and we hit them. And like I said, and I will always mention that: he who supports any terrorist, any bandits, is one of them. Because his action makes them survive, gives them the impetus for them to carry on. And the civilians we are talking about… it’s only when they carry a weapon? No. They do that together. This man provides the ammunition for them, buys the weapons and gives them, gives them feeding, gives them fuel. Who is he? He’s a bandit, he’s a terrorist.”
He warned that individuals who support insurgents, even for profit, expose themselves to legitimate targeting during military operations.
“Greed is dangerous, and this is what happens. They were just greedy individuals that think they’re making money by supporting terrorists. And we have made it very clear, even in the entire Northeast: these are areas that are no-go areas. Don’t have anything to do with them. Never. They were not forced, they were not coerced; it was on their own volition that they went there to do business with who they know are terrorists, supporting them. These terrorists give them money to come and buy stuff. On a daily basis, we have arrested them. I’m sure when you keep on hearing us talking about logisticians, these are the guys that keep them going. Period. Without those guys, they will never move forward.”
Addressing concerns about civilian safety, the minister said the military operates based on intelligence and takes precautions to avoid collateral damage.
“Nigeria is about 923,000 square kilometers. We don’t have military men that will cover every area. Absolutely. So what the enemies do is they look for areas where there’s nobody, and then they want to attack. We cannot be everywhere. So we try as much as possible, we get information and we react as quickly as we can. But we don’t take out innocent civilians. I tell you, we have called off strikes because we followed terrorists and they went into communities.”
On the persistence of insecurity, Musa attributed it to ongoing support networks aiding insurgents.
“Nobody is happy with these individuals, what they are doing. They are the ones prolonging this strife. I can tell you for free, it is because of the support they are giving them that this thing is ongoing.”
He added that in cases of operational errors, the military conducts investigations and compensates affected communities.
“Of course there are consequences when you make such mistakes. But again, like I said, we are humans and this is war. If it’s a mistake, we go there, we have committees that will always go back to those communities, meet them, get a record of all those who are killed, sit down with the communities, pay compensations. We do that always.”
Dismissing claims of internal sabotage or corruption, the minister said the armed forces remain capable despite operational challenges.
“Issues of corruption? No way. And I tell you, you know, if you look at the budget of the military, convert it to dollars and imagine what you can buy with it. For every ammunition we buy, we buy in dollars. For every equipment we’re buying, we’re buying in dollars. So we don’t produce. We do not have all we need, but we’re making the best of what we have.”
Reacting to a recent US travel advisory, Musa expressed surprise, insisting that Nigeria is safer than portrayed.
“I was shocked when we had the news. And I can tell you, Nigeria is not that bad. The news we had was that they got some false information. And that’s why it’s dangerous the way people go to social media and spill out falsehood.”
While acknowledging ongoing challenges, he maintained that Nigeria remains relatively stable compared to other conflict zones.
“Life is ongoing in Nigeria. I mean, can you compare here with places like Somalia or Afghanistan? No country is immune to criminality in the world, because it’s a human thing. Now, the acts of banditry that we have and kidnappings is a social thing. We’re doing our best, yes, definitely.”
