Citizen intelligence, stronger laws key to ending terror- Gen Musa, Defence chief

The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Christopher Musa, says citizen cooperation through voluntary intelligence sharing is key to defeating terrorist groups in Nigeria. Speaking on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’, Musa highlighted legal bottlenecks as major hurdles to prosecuting arrested terrorists and called for more infrastructure to curb recruitment. He commended President Bola Tinubu’s security efforts over the past two years, noting a decline in attacks, and urged closer collaboration between citizens and security agencies. David Lawani monitored the interview

Can you bring Nigerians up to speed on the 200 arrests that the Army has made? Where are we today in the war against terror and in defending our territory?

Thank you for appreciating the work that the troops are doing. It raises the morale of the troops, and that is why we also inform Nigerians that it is always important to appreciate the work that our men are doing. These are a few good guys standing up to ensure that people can sleep well. Nigeria can thrive and develop well. It is also crucial that we help them understand Nigerians’ appreciation for their work. The sacrifice is not easy. They have families just like anyone else. And they are standing there day and night, even in the rain. They are standing firm. We should be very grateful that things are really picking up well. I don’t think there is any country that has 100% peace. This issue has been ongoing for 16 years; it is not something that could have been stopped within two years. All of us are working together. What has really changed is the synergy with all the organisations. We are doing an all-of-the-nation approach in dealing with this. And that is why you see these successes coming in. It is not going to be easy. It is not just going to stop overnight. But I can tell you, North, South, East, and West, all are improving by the day. It is going to get well. It is going to get better. And we are not going to rest on our laurels because there is the tendency to think that because you have done this, then you go to sleep. No. It means there should be more work. Now, we have to go deep down. And that is what we are doing. I want to assure Nigerians that, besides seeing the physical work we are doing, there are people working day and night to identify and dismantle sleeper cells spread across the country. We are keeping them and taking care of them. So I can assure you that it will continue to improve. The likes of Tosin Ajayi in the DSS, Nuhu Ribadu in the NIA, and those who are doing quiet work that Nigerians don’t hear of — some of them cannot talk, yet they cannot say what they are doing. Imagine people who went to the mosque in Malafashi? How barbaric, callous and dastardly can these evil people be?

What is driving these kinds of people? How can you just wake up, see individuals, and go to kill them?

It shows you there are a lot of evil and deranged individuals who are going out because of ideology. They feel that people must be with them. If you are not with them, then you are an enemy. And that is why you see them targeting Muslims or Christians, because they don’t respect religion or borders. That is very critical. And that is why we want to appeal to Nigerians, especially those who believe they can hide them for one reason or another. Because why does this thing keep on thriving? We still have some individuals who directly or indirectly support them. It is either through funds, providing fuel and logistics that keep them going, or hiding them. And that is why we appeal to Nigerians to come together. If we don’t give them space, they will never thrive. And that is the best way to go about it. We need to talk to them directly to know that we are partners in progress. For us to defeat this evil, we need everybody to be on board.

Why is it difficult to name names of terrorist financiers, those who are financing terror in this country?

Well, I think the process is on. However, just last week, the Attorney General and another person went to Giwa to check. It has to do with a lot of legal issues. It has to do with international connections. Some of them have funds coming from outside. We cannot do anything from within.

Do we know some of these elements?

Yes, the local ones. They try to employ a few individuals, provide them with motorcycles, and give them something to do. Those are receiving money daily into some accounts. It is being tracked. They try to circulate this money. We need to track this money. The NFIU is doing so much. Apart from the intelligence setup, the financial links are also being thoroughly investigated. Arrests have been made. And I can assure you that the Attorney General of the Federation and the NSA are all working seriously to ensure that we address those issues.

What would you say is the ideological backing for supporting terror financing? Is banditry also being backed by funding?

You know criminals work together. They synergise their efforts together — both the bandits and the terrorists. They work together because of a common goal. They want to make money. They want to ensure the communities are not left unprotected for any reason. And again, for politics. Some individuals also don’t want peace. Where there is peace, it indicates that the government is doing well. And where there is no peace, it also shows the government is not doing well. Last year, we had the fewest number of deaths. Why has everything suddenly tightened up? Politics is coming in, and elections are coming in. You cannot rule out the fact that some people are controlling them to make sure that there is no peace. The funny thing is: how do you want to govern people that you want to kill? Or how do you kill the people you want to govern? What do you gain from it?

Are you unable to identify the elements that are using security as a political tool?

The DSS, NIA, NFIU, and DIA are all working assiduously. Again, it has to do with the legal system. You take them to court, and it gets knocked out for one reason or another. Again, this brings us to the legal system. We need to review our legal system because some of the punishments are too weak.

Do we need a special tribunal?

I will say we need special courts because we are in a democracy. A court that will treat cases as quickly as they arise. That is very important. We also need to review the punishments for offences. We need to do that. Take, for example, the case of a vessel being arrested in the South-South. They give them peanuts, and the ship is back. And that is why we started burning them. People started talking about how it destroys the environment. We are now caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, as we must burn those items once found, yet this has brought us peace. And as long as we keep arresting them and we hand them over and they go through the legal system, it becomes a problem. It takes a longer time to prosecute. You make an effort to make an arrest, but due to technical reasons, the same individuals and their vessels are released. Now, those officers who made the arrests, if you tell them to go back again, they won’t feel comfortable. But if the laws are stringent, even for terrorism, even in the Middle East, terrorism cases are severe cases. If your name gets in there, nobody, even your family members, will come in. They will have to execute the person.

So, is the legal system a significant issue?

We need to unbundle it to make it faster, and then make it more stringent. And that will really check a lot of things. Once people know that they cannot get away with anything, impunity sets in, and we cannot prosecute.

So, we have a long list of terror financiers

Of course, yes.

But it is difficult to name them?

No, it is not. I don’t know them personally, as I don’t work directly with them, but I can tell you that the Attorney General is working on it. Prosecutions have started. I am sure you are aware. Those who did the Owo bombing (Ondo State) are already facing prosecution. We are receiving information and treating it as quickly as possible.

Are we getting the needed support from some of these countries that use them as safe havens?

Yes, of course. The problem is that since Libya fell, that is where the problems started. The disaster began when Sudan, located in the Sahel region, underwent significant changes. They have markets where you can buy any ammunition that you want. It is ungoverned. It is an open market. Everybody flows through. And the borders are open. And you understand that Niger and Burkina Faso are all having issues in the Sahel region. Everybody’s interested in coming to Nigeria because they believe it’s a rich country where they can achieve a lot. You know we have large hearts. But we have to think of security. Sometimes, they come in and we say, “This is our brother or sister.” But they don’t mean us good. The Lakurawa, Boko Haram — when they started, that was the issue. We allowed them to fester until they began to eat us and we started complaining. We should never allow any foreigner an inch of our land for whatever reason.

What about our porous borders?

Efforts are being made. Again, we need to do a lot, especially with our neighbours. I want to assure Nigerians that we are still working together with these countries, as their stability is crucial for us. If your neighbour is in trouble the way it is now, you have to brace up.

Is the military junta in those countries providing any assistance?

We are working with the military because we know the importance. We must work together to secure ourselves.

So, there must be stability in the Sahel region?

Yes, we need them to be stable. If not, we are in trouble. It is 1500 km.

It is like travelling from Lagos to Maiduguri. That is to tell you those borders are unmanned. How is it there?

Nigeria has over 4000 kilometres of borders. It is massive. We must have bilateral relationships with all the neighbouring countries. We are working with Chad, Cameroon, Niger, and the Benin Republic. When the Benin Republic was attacked, we had to send our aircraft to provide some level of support for them. Otherwise, if anything happens to them and we say it is not our business, when they come in, it is going to be our business.

How many years now has the military been chasing the Lakurawa terrorists?

It has been a long time since they started, five to six years ago. When they came out, they really kept moving, and we have been tracking them ever since. They have some levels of support from the locals. The ignorance of the locals is what they play at. They are not doing it because of religion. The intention is always different. The Lakurawas were established in Niger. When those within the border saw them, they were in trouble. They said, “Why not come to us so we can be brothers?” They started feeding them. But when they could not feed them, they started taxing the locals. When the locals could not measure up, they started attacking them. It is always like that.

Has Lakurawa been taken out?

Not yet. But we are in the process. A lot of inroads have been made. They are taking advantage of the forests. We have the most extensive forest. When they go in, we are tracking them. We are making inroads.

You are from Kaduna, and there is relative peace there. Is that a coincidence?

Our non-kinetic efforts have been constructive. I am from Zangon-Kataf. It was a setup. Some individuals were pushing these things deliberately to make the area untenable. These individuals were out. They were able to talk to people to say, “Look, we have to live in peace. Everybody has to shine their eyes. Anything you see, you have to report.” We then identified the existing gaps and ensured we blocked them. We denied them the ability to obtain logistics and to move freely. That was the trick. That was the same thing we are applying everywhere. And gradually, we are making progress. We used it in Kaduna, and now we’re moving into Jos. We are moving into Zamfara and Katsina. We are spreading quietly. What is helping us in those areas is the use of informants. The level of informants in these areas is unprecedented. You are seeing people who are killing — why are you supporting them? Why are you giving them support? Information is flowing to these guys. And because there are many, they are moving on the border. They move and come in. We need to start teaching security right from primary school. Our neighbours, if you go to them, they know what security is. Even as a foreigner, before you know, they are calling the gendarme on you: “There is a foreigner here. What is he doing here?” They come to pick you to identify yourself.

Would you encourage an average Nigerian to learn combat skills to protect themselves?

It should be taken, because it is like learning to drive or how to swim — it is a survival instinct. Forget whether we have war or not. It is a survival instinct. And that is why in Europe, swimming is compulsory. Learning and teaching about security is meaningful because understanding its meaning is crucial. Sometimes you see individuals coming in, and you don’t know who he is. No background check. Even before independence, in Africa, if you went into any community, people would find out who you are and what you are doing. But these days, people should see something and say it. That is how you help the security forces.

Nigerians have continued to bury loved ones from Plateau, Zamfara, and Benue. How do you explain to grieving families that the government is truly in control of these challenges?

There have been massive improvements. Like I said, we cannot just stop it overnight. These guys look for soft targets. These same informants will tell them there are soldiers here, and identify where there is nobody. And they strike. Before we get the information, they have all gone. It is important to have infrastructure as a dividend of democracy. That ensures that people don’t get recruited easily. It is this easy way of recruiting people into the system that makes it a lot easier. But we are tackling so much daily.

But why does it seem that reality doesn’t match what’s actually happening?

That is why I said no country in the world is crime-free. As long as there is humanity, there will always be crime.

Would you say Nigeria is safer now than it was before?

There are a lot of improvements. The President is doing so much to support us. And again, the humanitarian department is also doing its bit. It is a whole-of-society approach to this. It is not one-sided. Previously, people used to say it was a military solution. And we said no. The non-kinetic effort plays a significant role in preventing people from getting recruited. And once they cannot be recruited, they cannot survive. And that is why the communities mustn’t allow them to thrive within themselves. A lot of actions are being taken.