Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, has declared that the Federal Government will not negotiate with terrorists or pay ransom for kidnapped victims, warning that such practices only embolden criminal groups and worsen national insecurity.
Speaking during his ministerial screening at the Senate, Musa stressed that ransom payments enable terrorists to regroup, acquire new weapons, and launch fresh attacks, noting that communities that previously negotiated still suffered renewed violence. He added that Nigeria’s financial system has the capacity to track suspicious transactions if fully utilized.
Musa explained that military force contributes only 25–30% of the fight against insecurity. Poverty, illiteracy, weak governance structures and ineffective local government systems, he said, continue to fuel criminal networks. He urged state and local authorities to take greater responsibility for intelligence gathering and early response efforts, insisting that security agencies cannot shoulder the entire burden.
The Defence Minister also criticized Nigeria’s slow judicial processes, especially in terrorism and kidnapping cases that drag on for years. He called for urgent legal reforms, including the creation of special terrorism courts, faster trial timelines and stricter penalties to strengthen the national security framework.
Musa raised alarms over renewed criminal activity along maritime routes between Akwa Ibom and Cameroon, including sea robbery, piracy and coastal kidnappings. He confirmed that Operation Delta Safe is expanding into areas that previously appeared stable but are now showing signs of infiltration.
He further demanded a total ban on illegal mining, describing it as a major revenue source for armed groups in forest regions.
To improve operational efficiency, Musa announced plans to reduce routine military checkpoints nationwide so more troops can return to field operations in forests and ungoverned spaces. Ensuring farmers’ safety is a top priority, he said, because food security is central to national stability.
More than 70,000 Nigerians apply for military recruitment each year, Musa revealed, but many resist deployment to conflict zones. He stressed the need for a unified national database to verify identities, curb recruitment fraud and strengthen criminal tracking across states.
Nigeria’s fragmented data systems — scattered among immigration, quarantine and other agencies — pose a major obstacle, he explained. A single national database, he said, would help disable crime-linked bank accounts, block terrorist financing and enhance inter-agency intelligence.
Following a three-day special debate, the House of Representatives adopted sweeping national security reform resolutions, including calls for transparent and open prosecution of terrorism cases to curb violent crime and rebuild public trust.
