Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has called for the fencing of Nigeria’s borders as a critical step toward addressing the country’s growing insecurity.

In an interview with ARISE NEWS on Thursday, he warned that terrorists are exploiting Nigeria’s porous borders, bringing in arms and fighters, and in some cases, deploying advanced surveillance equipment such as drones.

“Having gone through my analysis and looking at the Sahel, the main attraction to all these terrorists and bandits is Nigeria, because this perception that Nigeria is a rich country and that there’s no law to prevent them from getting there. And the borders are porous,” he said.

Musa then added, “For us to be secure, it is important. Let us fence our borders. Some people say, look, it’s expensive. But I say, what is money if you are dead? It’s of no use.”

Musa proposed that fencing should begin with high-risk zones like the Niger-Nigeria border, supported by wire mesh, surveillance drones, and domestically produced materials, such as steel from Ajaokuta, to also stimulate local industry and job creation.

His remarks come amid rising violence in Benue State, where over 150 people were killed in a recent massacre in Yelwata community. Responding to criticism that no arrests had been made, Musa confirmed that arrests had in fact been carried out by police and the DSS, though not widely publicised.

“The police has arrested a number of people. And actions have been taken. Investigations are ongoing with the DSS, the police. You know, it takes a lot. So, because we are lower abiding individuals, so we have to be sure of what we’re doing. And I think that’s a critical aspect. All the security forces are working together to ensure that this stops.”

He added that failure to publicly prosecute past offenders has emboldened new ones, stressing that all criminals, regardless of origin, must face justice.

“A criminal is a criminal. Everyone who commits a crime should be prosecuted. That has not been done, so, that is the issue.”

He described the situation in Benue not merely as a farmer-herder crisis, but as a complex mix of terrorism, banditry, land grabbing, reprisal killings, and political manipulation. He emphasised that genuine peace will only return when state and community leaders create space for reconciliation, law enforcement, and shared security agreements.

“Everybody is playing a part… We must make them communicate,” he said.

Musa also sounded the alarm on the evolving tactics of terrorist groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP, revealing that they are now deploying foreign-trained operatives using drones and modern battlefield technologies, forcing the military to constantly re-strategise.

He said, “So far, within the Boko Haram commanders and delegates, we have killed over almost 80 of the commanders. But you know, the problem is the borders are empty. People are infiltrating. There is a lot of poverty right from the Sahelian region. The whole of suffering from Sudan, Central African Republic, cutting down up to even Mali and all this, Mali and Libya is open. Free trade of weapons, no leadership. So that’s why it’s easier for these things to infiltrate down into Nigeria. Right? And that’s why even with the killings, as you are killing more still want to come in. And then there’s poverty, there’s illiteracy. But there also appears to be improvements in the use of technology by the insurgents. Definitely! And that’s why we’re talking about the foreign fighters.

“We had information about some other ones coming together because some of them also go for foreign training abroad and then they want to use technology, drones particularly. We have had reasons to see them use drones. But again, after the initial about five weeks ago that we had those setbacks, we have re-strategised our operations. And now they’re on the run. We have taken down so many as we speak.”

The Defence Chief reiterated that military operations alone will not end insecurity, and renewed his call for urgent police reform, increased recruitment, and deeper civil-military collaboration. He expressed concern over low public morale and the tendency to blame troops while sparing terrorists in public discourse.

“Encouragement is very critical; it makes them want to do more. But when you discourage them, you demoralise them, and when you demoralise your troops, there’s nobody.” (AriseNews TV)