Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), has shared insights on why terrorism, banditry and other forms of insecurity in Nigeria appear to be difficult to address.

The former Chief of Defence Staff, who made the remarks on Friday when he spoke at the June 12 edition of The Platform, organised by The Covenant Nation in Lagos, said the problem persists in the country partly because criminal groups receive support from individuals within local communities.

Speaking on it issue, he said, “Banditry, insurgency, terrorism. Why does it seem so difficult to deal with it? Perhaps, we have the people that are also encouraging and supporting these things from happening because the terrorists, the bandits, survive around the people.

“There are several stories of how people have aided them in giving them food, giving them water, and giving them information, and these are the things that keep them going, and we call this the oxygen.”

“Who is funding them? Who are those giving them information? Who are those giving them the logistics that keep them going? It is still the people,” General Musa added.

The defence minister noted that modern security threats are increasingly difficult to combat because criminal elements often operate among the civilian population, making it harder for security agencies to identify and isolate them.

He stressed that the armed forces and other security agencies cannot defeat insecurity without citizens’ cooperation, urging Nigerians to report suspicious activities and support ongoing security efforts. (Channels TV)

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