“We Have Defeated Terrorism” — Minister Of Defence

Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (Rtd.), says the Federal Government has defeated terrorism in the country, arguing that attacks by groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP are no longer as frequent or as brazen as they used to be.

Musa made the claim during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, September 3. Pressed on whether the military had actually defeated terrorists or simply pushed them into other forms of crime, the minister said security forces had succeeded, but acknowledged that the threat has now shifted toward mass kidnapping for ransom, describing it as a widening “social ill” affecting families across the country.

The former Chief of Defence Staff argued that Nigeria’s security situation has followed a pattern under Tinubu’s administration. According to Musa, once the military weakens a threat at one stage, whether criminality, kidnapping, or full-blown insurgency, groups tend to fall back on abduction as an easier way to raise money. He said Boko Haram and ISWAP attacks are now rare compared to previous years, framing the current wave of kidnappings as a downgrade from terrorism rather than a failure to contain it.

Musa added that troops are actively moving into areas previously controlled by terrorist groups and recovering abducted victims, though he did not provide specific figures on rescues or ongoing operations during the interview.

With President Tinubu seeking re-election in 2027, Musa was also asked about his position on the ruling All Progressives Congress presidential campaign team overseeing security, a role that has drawn questions about whether it compromises his neutrality as a serving Defence Minister. Musa rejected the suggestion, insisting his loyalty is to Nigeria’s security rather than any political camp, and pledged that the military would work with all parties to ensure the 2027 election is free, fair and credible.

Separately in the same interview, Musa urged state governors to stop distributing motorcycles as palliatives to residents, warning that such vehicles frequently end up in the hands of terrorists and are used to carry out attacks or escape quickly. He suggested that if governors insist on providing motorcycles, they should limit them to low-capacity models that would be less useful to armed groups.

He also linked Nigeria’s insecurity partly to weak local government structures, arguing that local governments need to be allowed to function properly as part of any long-term security fix.

The comments come in the same week Musa defended Nigeria’s ₦5.41 trillion defence and security allocation in the 2026 federal budget, telling reporters that modern warfare is costly and that the figure covers military equipment procurement and troop salaries. He cited specific weapons costs to justify the size of the allocation.

Musa has also recently called for greater adoption of artificial intelligence, unmanned systems and other emerging technologies within Nigeria’s armed forces, arguing that the changing nature of security threats requires continuous modernisation of the country’s defence capabilities.

The minister’s declaration that terrorism has been defeated is likely to draw scrutiny given the scale of kidnapping incidents still being reported across northern and central Nigeria, and questions over whether reduced insurgent attacks reflect a genuine defeat of terrorism or simply a shift in tactics by armed groups.