Defence Minister blames local informers for persistent insecurity

Christopher Musa, Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, has said the country’s battle against terrorism, banditry and insurgency remains challenging because criminal groups continue to receive support from sponsors and collaborators within local communities.

Speaking on Friday at the 2026 edition of the annual national discourse, The Platform Nigeria 2026, Musa said security agencies would find it difficult to completely eliminate criminal elements as long as they continue to enjoy access to food, logistics, intelligence and funding from members of the public.

The event, held to commemorate Democracy Day and monitored on Channels Television, was hosted by Poju Oyemade and focused on the theme, “Governance, Democracy and National Security.”

Defence Minister stressed that the success of efforts to combat insecurity depends largely on the willingness of citizens to reject, expose and deny support to criminal networks operating within their communities.

“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,” Musa said.

He argued that terrorists, bandits and insurgents thrive because they are often embedded within communities and receive assistance from individuals who provide them with essential resources.

According to him, such support acts as “oxygen” for criminal groups, enabling them to sustain their operations despite ongoing military offensives.

“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”, he said.

Musa noted that contemporary security threats differ significantly from conventional warfare, where hostile forces are clearly identifiable and often represent opposing states.

He explained that one of the most dangerous aspects of modern conflicts is that perpetrators frequently operate from within the very communities they seek to destabilise.

“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 said.

Defence Minister maintained that despite the sacrifices and efforts of the Armed Forces and other security agencies, meaningful progress against insecurity would remain limited without strong public cooperation.

“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 further called on Nigerians to remain united and vigilant, warning that terrorists and criminal groups often exploit social, ethnic and religious divisions to weaken communities and advance their objectives.

“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 stated.