June 13, 2026 | SUNTV Global Channel | National Security
Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (Rtd.), has identified local informants and suppliers as a major reason terrorism, banditry, and insurgency continue to thrive across the country.
Speaking at the 2026 Democracy Day edition of The Platform in Lagos on Friday, the Defence Minister said criminal groups rely heavily on support from members of the communities where they operate, making it difficult for security forces to completely eliminate them.
According to Musa, terrorists and bandits survive because some individuals provide them with food, water, intelligence, and other logistical support.
“The terrorists and bandits survive around the people. Some people provide them with food, water, information, and logistics. These are the things that keep them going,” he said.
The Defence Minister described such support as the “oxygen” that sustains criminal networks, stressing that security agencies alone cannot defeat insecurity without active cooperation from citizens.
He questioned who funds the criminals and supplies them with intelligence, noting that many of the answers point back to individuals within local communities.
Musa explained that modern security threats are different from conventional warfare because insurgents often operate within civilian populations, making them harder to identify and combat.
He therefore urged Nigerians to see insecurity as a collective national challenge rather than a problem for the military alone. The Defence Minister called on citizens to provide timely intelligence and report suspicious activities to security agencies.
He warned that unless communities stop providing support and protection to criminal elements, achieving lasting peace and stability in Nigeria will remain a difficult task.
Source: Remarks delivered by Defence Minister General Christopher Musa (Rtd.) during the Democracy Day edition of The Platform, Lagos, June 13, 2026.
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