The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), has said the fight against terrorism, banditry and insurgency in the country remains difficult because of the active support criminal groups receive from their sponsors and some members of the public.

Musa spoke on Friday at the 2026 edition of The Platform Nigeria, an annual national discourse held to celebrate Democracy Day.

The event, monitored by our correspondent on Channels TV, was hosted by the Senior Pastor and Founder of The Covenant Nation, Pastor Poju Oyemade.

Speaking on the theme of the discourse, “Governance, Democracy and National Security,” the minister said terrorists and bandits relied heavily on local collaborators for food, information, logistics and funding, making it difficult for security agencies to completely eliminate them.

According to him, meaningful progress in the fight against insecurity can only be achieved if citizens are willing to reject and expose those aiding criminal elements.

He said, “Everything revolves around the people. If the people are ready and willing to make changes, changes will occur. If the people are not willing, nothing will happen.

“I can tell you that with what is going on with the challenges we have in the country — banditry, insurgency and terrorism — why does it seem so difficult to deal with them? Perhaps, we have people who are also encouraging and supporting these things because the terrorists and bandits survive among the people.

“There are several stories of how people have aided them by giving them food, water and information, and these are the things that keep them going. We call this the oxygen. Who are those funding them? Who are those giving them information? Who are those providing the logistics that keep them going? It is still the people.”

The minister noted that unlike conventional warfare, where enemies are easily identified as opposing states or countries, modern security threats are often driven by individuals operating from within the communities they target.

“Conventional warfare in the past used to be state-to-state, country-to-country, so you know who your enemy is. The most dangerous aspect of battles or campaigns is when the enemy is within. That individual whom you are protecting may be the number one enemy trying to take you out immediately he gets the chance,” he stated.

Musa stressed that no matter the efforts of the armed forces and other security agencies, success would remain limited without the active support and cooperation of citizens.

“It is important for us to always remember that the armed forces and the security agencies, no matter what they do, if the people are not ready to support them, it makes the task extremely difficult,” he added.

He urged Nigerians to remain united, warning that terrorists and other criminal groups often exploit divisions within society to advance their activities.

“We must continue to work in unity because it is these gaps that exist between us that these individuals see and try to widen in order to separate and divide us, and we must not let that happen,” Musa said.

Also speaking, former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, stressed the importance of an independent legislature in sustaining democracy and ensuring accountability in governance.

According to him, a legislature that merely rubber-stamps executive proposals without proper scrutiny fails in its constitutional responsibility.

“A legislature that cannot say no is not a legislature at all. A legislature that simply receives executive proposals, approves them without scrutiny and goes home has not fulfilled its constitutional mandate. It has merely performed a ceremonial function,” he said.

Saraki argued that the independence of the National Assembly should not be viewed as an act of defiance against the executive but as a fundamental requirement for legitimate and accountable governance.

“The independence of the National Assembly is not rebellion against the government of the day. If the National Assembly is independent, it is the very thing that makes the government legitimate because a mandate that is never tested is a mandate that no one can trust,” he said. (Saturday PUNCH)

Update news