The minister of defense, General Christopher Musa (retd.), has said the fight against terrorism, banditry, and insurgency in the country remains difficult because of the active support criminal groups receive from their sponsors and some members of the public.
Musa spoke on Friday at the 2026 edition of The Platform Nigeria, an annual national discourse held to celebrate democracy day.
The event, monitored by our correspondent on Channels TV, was hosted by the Senior Pastor and Founder of The Covenant Nation, Pastor Poju Oyemade.
Speaking on the theme of the discourse, “Governance, Democracy, and National Security,” the minister said terrorists and bandits relied heavily on local collaborators for food, information, logistics, and funding, making it difficult for security agencies to completely eliminate them.
According to him, meaningful progress in the fight against insecurity can only be achieved if citizens are willing to reject and expose those aiding criminal elements.
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He said, “Everything revolves around the people. If the people are ready and willing to make changes, changes will occur. If the people are not willing, nothing will happen.
“I can tell you that with what is going on with the challenges we have in the country—banditry, insurgency, and terrorism—why does it seem so difficult to deal with them? Perhaps we have people who are also encouraging and supporting these things because the terrorists and bandits survive among the people.
“There are several stories of how people have aided them by giving them food, water, and information, and these are the things that keep them going. We call this theoxygen. Who are those funding them? Who are those giving them information? Who are those providing the logistics that keep them going? It is still the people.”
The minister noted that unlike conventional warfare, where enemies are easily identified as opposing states or countries, modern security threats are often driven by individuals operating from within the communities they target.
“Conventional warfare in the past used to be state-to-state, country-to-country, so you know who your enemy is. The most dangerous aspect of battles or campaigns is when the enemy is within. That individual whom you are protecting may be the number one enemy trying to take you out immediately he gets the chance,” he stated.
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