Defence Minister Rates Nigeria’s Security at 70%, Says Terrorism Has Reduced Significantly
Nigeria’s security landscape has recorded notable progress in recent years, with the Federal Government’s counterterrorism efforts yielding measurable results across several regions of the country.
The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has assessed Nigeria’s current security performance at between 65 and 70 percent, stating that terrorist activities have reduced significantly compared to previous years.
Speaking during an interview on Friday, the defence chief acknowledged that while criminal activities have not been completely eradicated, the country has made substantial gains in the fight against terrorism and other security threats.
The minister explained that no country is entirely insulated from crime and criminality, stressing that incidents of kidnapping and terrorism still occur despite ongoing security operations nationwide.
PulseNets learnt that Musa linked many of the prevailing security challenges to the weakening of family values and societal orientation, arguing that the pursuit of quick wealth has continued to fuel criminal activities across various communities.
According to the minister, the growing trend of kidnappings and related crimes reflects deeper social problems that require collective attention beyond military interventions.
He further expressed concern that certain criminal activities may be influenced by political interests aimed at undermining public confidence in government institutions and creating perceptions of instability within the country.
Despite these concerns, the defence minister maintained that the Armed Forces and other security agencies remain committed to combating insecurity and safeguarding lives and property across Nigeria.
He said:
“Yes, I’ll give ourselves 65 to 70 percent score. No nation is totally free from crime and criminality, but the level of terrorism across the country has actually drastically reduced.
“Now we have acts of terrorism, and terrorism, like I said, its a social vice, a failure of family values. We have seen fathers kidnapping children, children kidnapping each other, and brothers kidnapping sisters.
“It tells you that there’s something wrong with the family, and we need to also look inward to see how we can now develop those aspects again, like the issue of education. People need to understand that to make money, work very hard, don’t look for shortcuts.
“Most of these people taking part in those kidnappings and all these things are looking for shortcuts.
“And again, you can’t rule out politics, because most of these people they are kidnapping are people that don’t have anything to offer, and you’re asking for one billion naira, knowing that the individual you are kidnapping cannot offer, so what are you doing? Who are you expecting to pay that money?
“And that’s to tell you that there are some times you can look at it as acts of sabotage to make the government look weak, or to make the country look ungovernable, or whatever.
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“However, the armed forces and security forces are working tirelessly to address those issues. I can tell you, Nigerians working with us, and I want to appreciate Nigerians.
“The level of support we are getting is a lot better than it used to be in the past, and we’re making more inroads.”
