The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, on Wednesday, vowed that the ministry under his leadership would not negotiate with or pay ransom to terrorists in the country.
According to Musa, the fight against insecurity would remain ineffective until the country established a unified national database that captured every citizen and linked all security, banking, and identity systems.
9news Nigeria reports that Musa, who spoke during his ministerial screening at the Senate, stated that government at all levels must enforce a total ban on ransom payments and negotiations with terrorists, warning that such actions only empower criminals.
He said, “What we need to do, sir, is work together as a team in addressing, making sure that we address them within Nigeria and do not give them any freedom, any aspects that they need to do.
“We must stop ransom payments and, in doing that, sir, even when ransoms are being paid, because people want to do that, we can track the money being paid and where the money comes from? There is a lot you can do with the banking system, and we can track it back. The use of technology is very important, and as I said, sir, if we’re able to have a database and every Nigerian has a number linked to everything you have electronically, we can monitor anything.”
The retired general stressed that military operations represented only 25–30 per cent of the counter-insurgency effort, adding that poverty, illiteracy, poor governance and weak local government structures continued to feed criminal activities.
He challenged state and local government administrators to take responsibility for community-level intelligence and early intervention, noting that security agencies alone could hardly shoulder the entire national burden.
The Defence minister took the opportunity to condemn Nigeria’s slow justice system, especially the prolonged trials for terrorism and kidnapping, saying the delays weakened morale within the armed forces.
He said, “In some countries, terrorism cases are handled decisively. Here, cases drag on for years. It discourages security forces who risk their lives to make arrests.”
He recommended urgent legal reforms, including special terrorism courts, more substantial penalties and accelerated hearings.
He raised alarm over renewed criminal activities across the maritime corridors linking Akwa Ibom to Cameroon, warning that sea robbery, piracy and coastal kidnappings were resurfacing.
According to Musa, Operation Delta Safe had been expanded to cover previously quiet zones now experiencing infiltration.
He called for a total ban on illegal mining, which he described as a major financing stream for armed groups operating in forest belts across the country.
Musa said, “I think those are areas that we need to look at and be able to address. Again, the issue of the maritime environment, very, very challenging environment that is there, again, linking with the border, especially Akwa-Ibom to Cameroon and those other areas. We know there’s less increase. Normally, when the pressure is on in the South-south, we go back to issues of sea robbery and piracy and these issues on the ground. Again, issues of cultism and all these things. Now, we make sure that our operations within those areas are enhanced using the operation Delta Safe, expanding their reach.
“Initially, because those areas were a bit quiet, they didn’t extend them. But now, what we have done, even before I left, is we’ve extended operations within those areas to be able to address those maritime environments, to make sure that we stop these acts because there’s an issue of kidnapping coming from those areas. Collaboration, sir, is critical. No one individual can do this alone. We must work; it’s a no-no to negotiation. There is no negotiation with any criminal, and I think that should be made very, very clear.”
