Nigeria's Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has rated the security performance of President Bola Tinubu's administration between 65 and 70 percent, despite ongoing concerns over kidnappings and attacks across the country. Speaking during an interview on ARISE News to mark the administration's third year in office, the minister said military operations had significantly weakened terrorism in Nigeria. He maintained that acts of terror had reduced compared to previous years.
When asked to assess the government's performance on security matters, Musa stated, "I'll give ourselves 65 to 70." He added, "No nation is totally free from crime and criminality. I'm sure you are aware that the level of terrorism across the country has actually drastically reduced. Now we have acts of terrorism, and terrorism, like I said, is a social vice, a failure of family values."
According to a report by Punch, the minister argued that many kidnapping cases reflected deeper social problems within families and communities. He said incidents involving relatives abducting one another pointed to declining societal values. "We have fathers kidnapping children, children kidnapping each other, brothers kidnapping sisters. It tells you that something is wrong with the family, and we need to look inward to see how we can develop those aspects," he added.
School Abductions Spark National Outrage
His comments came shortly after fresh school abductions in Borno and Oyo states triggered national outrage. Reports showed that at least 82 pupils were abducted between May 13 and May 15 during separate attacks in the two states. In Borno State, armed groups reportedly attacked schools in Askira Uba and Chibok local government areas, leading to the abduction of 42 pupils. Another 40 pupils were kidnapped in Oyo State during attacks on schools in Oriire Local Government Area. The Oyo incident also resulted in the killing of a mathematics teacher, Michael Oyedokun, alongside a motorcyclist and a security operative involved in rescue efforts.
Amnesty International recently disclosed that at least 1,100 people were abducted across Nigeria between January and April 2026. The organisation described the development as evidence of continuing failures in protecting vulnerable communities.
Minister Defends Military Operations
The minister defended ongoing military operations and pointed to recent successes against terrorist groups. "The recent killing of that deputy ISIS commander was a painstaking operation that began since last year. We followed through, ensured we were certain of our target, and when we struck, we got them. That is what we are doing," Musa said. He also stated that Nigeria was receiving operational support and intelligence cooperation from countries including the United States, Britain, France, Brazil and Turkey as part of efforts to tackle terrorism and violent crimes.
Earlier, Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara state declared that he has the capacity to end banditry in the state within two months if given direct control over security agencies. He said he knew the precise locations of the bandits terrorising the states by kidnapping residents and killing indiscriminately. Governor Lawal, however, mentioned one thing that is stopping him from arresting the bandits despite knowing their location.
