Defence Ministerial nominee, General Christopher Musa (rtd), has attributed the South-West’s relative success in curbing insecurity to the collective efforts of the region’s governors.
Speaking during his confirmation hearing at the Senate on Wednesday, Musa stressed that similar cooperation was urgently needed nationwide to tackle banditry and cross-border threats.
“Why the South-West seems to be doing very well is because they all agreed together,” Musa told lawmakers. “That’s why regionally, government must come together because two is better than one.”
The former Chief of Defence Staff highlighted that bandits often exploit Nigeria’s porous borders, particularly in the North-West, escaping into neighboring Niger after attacks in Sokoto State and surrounding areas.
“Bandits do not respect borders. Where they have strength is that when you pursue them around Sokoto, they enter Niger, and once they enter Niger you can’t touch them until they return,” he explained.
Musa called on the Federal Government to strengthen the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) along the Niger–Mali–Burkina Faso corridor, which he identified as a key entry route for extremist and criminal groups advancing toward Nigeria’s North-Central and South-West regions.
“For the MNJTF in Niger–Mali, we need to increase their capacity to hold them down toward the borders with Mali and Burkina Faso,” he said. “That’s where we are seeing incursions into Kwara down to the South-West. We have to stop them from causing more harm.”
He emphasized the importance of harmony among Nigeria’s security agencies, warning that the fight against banditry cannot succeed without coordinated operations.
“We have to harmonize all of them. All the security agencies need to come together,” Musa added.
