Defence Minister Christopher Musa has stated that terrorism has drastically reduced across Nigeria, giving the country's security efforts a score of 65 to 70 percent. He made this assertion during an interview on Arise Television on Friday, May 29.
Musa acknowledged that acts of terrorism and kidnapping still occur but emphasized that the situation has improved significantly compared to previous years. He attributed many security challenges to a breakdown of family values and poor social orientation, noting that many individuals involved in kidnapping and other crimes are seeking quick ways to make money.
The minister also suggested that some criminal activities could be politically motivated, aimed at portraying the government as weak or making the country appear ungovernable. He said, "Yes, I'll give ourselves 65 to 70 percent score. No nation is totally free from crime and criminality, but the level of terrorism across the country has actually drastically reduced."
Musa elaborated on the role of family values, stating, "Now we have acts of terrorism, and terrorism, like I said, is a social vice, a failure of family values. We have seen fathers kidnapping children, children kidnapping each other, and brothers kidnapping sisters. It tells you that there's something wrong with the family, and we need to also look inward to see how we can now develop those aspects again, like the issue of education."
He stressed the importance of hard work over shortcuts, saying, "People need to understand that to make money, work very hard, don't look for shortcuts. Most of these people taking part in those kidnappings and all these things are looking for shortcuts."
Regarding political motivations, Musa noted, "And again, you can't rule out politics, because most of these people they are kidnapping are people that don't have anything to offer, and you're asking for one billion naira, knowing that the individual you are kidnapping cannot offer, so what are you doing? Who are you expecting to pay that money? And that's to tell you that there are some times you can look at it as acts of sabotage to make the government look weak, or to make the country look ungovernable, or whatever."
The minister commended the efforts of the armed forces and security agencies, stating, "However, the armed forces and security forces are working tirelessly to address those issues. I can tell you, Nigerians working with us, and I want to appreciate Nigerians. The level of support we are getting is a lot better than it used to be in the past, and we're making more inroads."
