Worsening insecurity is sponsored to make Tinubu's government look weak — Defence Minister

Nigeria's Minister of Defence, retired General Christopher Gwabin Musa, has raised the alarm over what he described as the deliberate escalation of insecurity during political cycles, alleging that certain individuals exploit periods of electoral activity to undermine the government and score political points.

Musa, who was appointed Minister of Defence by President Bola Tinubu after serving as Chief of Defence Staff, made the remarks while speaking about the nation's ongoing security challenges. 

He has consistently taken a forthright tone since assuming office, describing Nigeria's security situation as asymmetric warfare that is, a complex conflict where the enemy is often embedded within the communities it terrorises.

On the link between politics and violence, Musa was direct. "If you notice, anytime it's a political year, it goes up," he said, referring to the frequency of attacks. 

"Individuals want to take advantage to make the government look weak, or to show that they are still capable."

He added: "You don't have to kill the people you want to govern. If you're popular, why not? But why do you have to go and make sure that things like this increase just because you want to make cheap goals?" 

When pressed on who he believed was responsible, Musa said it was "those that don't mean well for the country," adding that such individuals exist "both within and outside."

Beyond the political dimension, the minister identified several factors compounding the security situation.

He noted that troops are battling a determined enemy that receives external support and is driven by ideology, making them exceptionally difficult to neutralise. 

"Because it's ideological, they feel if they die, they go to heaven and if they kill, they are blessed, so they take any risk," he said, mourning the loss of officers killed in what he described as deliberate, calculated attacks.

Musa also pointed to the problem of informants embedded within civilian populations, stating that insurgents often receive precise intelligence on troop numbers and logistics before launching overwhelming assaults. 

Improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, were cited as another significant cause of military casualties, many of them constructed from fertilizer. 

Musa said attempts to restrict fertilizer access drew complaints from farmers, noting that while blended forms are safe, the raw material is being weaponised.

The minister has previously stated that the Federal Government is adopting a comprehensive approach to security, combining military operations with non-kinetic strategies, while stressing the urgent need to secure Nigeria's borders against the movement of criminal elements. 

He has also repeatedly called on Nigerians to support security agencies with credible intelligence, warning that the enemy is often indistinguishable from ordinary citizens, and that communities that shield criminals are part of the problem.

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