Gen. Christopher Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff, expressed that the military is not making progress in the fight against insecurity in various parts of the country. He highlighted the daily loss of troops in the ongoing battle against insecurity and admitted to having nightmares.
Musa addressed journalists in Abuja during his first meeting with them, cautioning citizens against actions that could demoralize the troops from effectively carrying out their constitutional duties.
He accused certain individuals and countries of sponsoring Simon Ekpa to destabilize the nation and urged them to refrain from such activities. Additionally, he emphasized the military's unwavering commitment to restoring peace in the South-East.
“On the issue of Nnamdi Kanu, there are people that have continued to sponsor these people by contributing money. And you can see that they are not only killing people outside, they are also killing their people.
“So, you are funding somebody who is also killing you. So, our appeal is that people should stop supporting them, and expose all those doing those things, especially people like Simon Ekpa.
“He is sitting down there in comfort. Some countries are encouraging him to do what he is doing to Nigeria, and we are here supporting him. So, people must desist. We must call what is wrong, wrong. But I know that we are making efforts to ensure that we secure the whole of South-East and we will continue to do that.”
Musa also addressed the accidental bombing in Kaduna, assuring that any personnel found responsible would face consequences. He emphasized that while the current military approach addresses only 30% of the insecurity problem, the fundamental solution lies in good governance, equity, fairness, and justice, which would contribute to a more secure and stable society.
“Military solution is only 30 per cent, 70 per cent is good governance, equity, fairness and justice. Anywhere you apply this, you will see that you have a good community.”
Musa said porous borders and unmanned forests had contributed to the challenges faced by the military.
He said, “If you go to Chad, Cameroon and Niger, once you come as a foreigner, they know because they have a database; they can identify you. And then there’s this security awareness within the public, which we lack.
He highlighted these challenges posed by porous borders and unmanned forests, contrasting this with the security measures in place in neighboring countries such as Chad, Cameroon, and Niger.
Gen. Christopher Musa (CDS) |