Musa’s Inspiring Message on Ending Insecurity in 2025

Ejiofor Alike writes that for the target set by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa to end insecurity in 2025 to be achieved, the military should constantly raid the dens of terrorists to prevent them from regrouping to attack security forces and avoid a repeat of the recent incident where ISWAP invaded soldiers’ Forward Operating Base in Borno State and killed many soldiers

Basking in the euphoria of the enormous successes recorded in the war against insecurity, especially in southern parts of Kaduna and Plateau states, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, recently described 2025 as the year to end the nationwide insecurity, and urged troops to take the battle to the criminals’ enclaves.

Since the appointment of Musa, and the service chiefs by President Bola Tinubu, the senseless killings that characterized the state of insecurity in some parts of the country, particularly in southern Kaduna and Plateau States have reduced drastically.

Before Musa and the service chiefs were appointed, southern Kaduna was a killing field, while many Nigerians believed that the security agencies deliberately refused to end the nationwide insecurity due to the huge yearly defence budgets earmarked for internal security.

During the past administration, part of the schedule of a commissioner in Kaduna State was to brief the press daily on the number of casualties.

In Plateau State, the situation was similar as the various ethnic groups in the state had alleged that 151 villages and hamlets in the state were being occupied forcefully by armed herdsmen. 

However, the senseless killings in the state have since abated due to the strategies put in place by Musa and other service chiefs.

Mass abductions of school children in the North-west states have also disappeared under the present administration.  

The military also recorded tremendous progress in the insurgency war in the North-east and in tackling insecurity in the South-east.

While security has also improved in Taraba and Nasarawa states, the military is yet to contain the excesses of herdsmen who have made Benue State a killing field since 2016.

Governor Hyacinth Alia last Thursday raised the alarm that over 1,000 households had been displaced in a series of attacks on communities across the state from December 29 to date.

Kidnapping for ransom has also remained a thriving business and an organised crime, aided by security agents who connive with bandits and government officials who facilitate payment of ransoms.  

But in a recent morale-boosting visit to troops of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, General Musa declared 2025 as a year to eradicate banditry, terrorism, and other security threats across the country.

“This year, 2025, will be a decisive year for Nigeria’s security. We must make it the year we finally eradicate banditry, terrorism, and all forms of insecurity threatening our great nation,” Musa reportedly stated.

The CDS charged the troops to take the war to the insurgents’ enclaves.

A major weakness of the current war against terror is that soldiers are not constantly taking the battle to the terrorists’ dens. The terrorists are the ones that invade military posts and bases and inflict casualties on officers and men.

Terrorists also lay ambushes for soldiers due to poor intelligence gathering and inadequate preparation before responding to distress calls.

Without adequate aerial support and anti-landmine equipment, soldiers on routine clearance operations and those responding to distress calls have fallen prey to the terrorists’ ambush and landmines.

However, Musa hinted that it would no longer be business as usual in 2025.

“It is past tense when you say they are coming from somewhere to come and attack somewhere. Let’s head over to where they are coming from. We have already addressed this with all of the commanders; going forward, we will pursue them wherever they may be. It is imperative that we eliminate this by 2025.

“Plateau State is the hope of mining. It’s common for people to try to get you to come and be with them wherever you are posted so that you can earn some money. You weren’t brought here to earn some cash. To maintain the peace, we sent you here. If someone is caught committing those crimes, we will treat it extremely severely,” Musa warned the troops.

However, barely 24 hours after Musa delivered the inspiring message, terrorists that belonged to the Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) launched pre-dawn attacks on troops at their Sabon Gari base in Damboa LGA of Borno State.

The terrorists were said to have ambushed troops returning to the base in military vehicles and inflicted heavy casualties on the soldiers.

However, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) on Wednesday said over 34 terrorists and six soldiers lost their lives during the fierce encounter on January 4, 2025.

This assault on the soldiers underscores the need for the military to reorganise their operational strategy to discourage such audacity in the future.

To deter terrorists from embarking on a similar mission in future, the military should release the videos of the bodies of the 34 fallen terrorists.

Before the most dreaded Boko Haram commander, Abubakar Shekau killed himself on May 19, 2021 to avoid being captured alive by ISWAP, the Nigerian government had on many occasions claimed that the military had ‘killed’ him.

Releasing the videos of the slain terrorists will also boost the morale of troops in theatre of operations and reassure Nigerians that the military does not make false claims.

Military commanders should also adopt the new operational strategy of taking the battle to the enemies’ camps to deny them the opportunity to organise themselves or regroup for any attack on security forces and the civilian population.

The military authorities should also carry out self-reassessment in the area of military equipment and manpower.

Nigeria increased defence budgets and embarked on acquisition of fighter aircraft and other fighting equipment since former President Muhammadu Buhari came to power in 2015.

But despite these acquisitions and huge yearly budgets, the Armed Forces of Nigeria recently dropped three places in the 2024 Global Firepower (GFP) ranking, moving from 36th position in 2023 to 39th among 145 nations assessed worldwide.

 This marks a second consecutive year of decline for Nigeria, which was ranked 35th in 2022, according to reports.

The GFP report assessed countries based on over 60 factors, including military resources, financial stability, logistical capabilities, and geography.

Nigeria also slid from third to fourth place among African countries, with Egypt maintaining its top spot on the continent, followed by Algeria and South Africa, despite the acquisition of fighter jets and other military assets.

It is imperative for the Nigerian government to re-examine the nature of the equipment being procured to ensure that they meet the demands of modern warfare.

The level of transparency in these acquisitions should also be investigated to confirm that Nigeria is getting value for her money.