Local Informants Sustaining Terrorism, Banditry in Nigeria – Defence Minister

By DIP Connects Online News

The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), has said that the fight against terrorism, banditry and insurgency in Nigeria remains challenging because criminal groups continue to receive active support from their sponsors and some members of the public.

Musa made the remarks on Friday during the 2026 edition of The Platform Nigeria, an annual national discourse organised to commemorate Democracy Day. The event, which was monitored on Channels Television, was hosted by the Senior Pastor and Founder of The Covenant Nation, Pastor Poju Oyemade.

Speaking on the theme, “Governance, Democracy and National Security,” the Defence Minister said terrorists and bandits depend heavily on local collaborators for food, intelligence, logistics and funding, making it difficult for security agencies to completely eradicate them.

According to him, lasting success in addressing insecurity can only be achieved when citizens reject and expose individuals aiding criminal elements.

“Everything revolves around the people. If the people are ready and willing to make changes, changes will occur. If the people are not willing, nothing will happen,” he said.

He questioned why the country continued to face challenges in defeating banditry, insurgency and terrorism, suggesting that some members of society were directly or indirectly supporting the criminals.

“There are several stories of how people have aided them by giving them food, water and information, and these are the things that keep them going. We call this the oxygen. Who are those funding them? Who are those giving them information? Who are those providing the logistics that keep them going? It is still the people,” Musa stated.

The minister explained that unlike conventional warfare, where enemies are clearly identified as opposing states or countries, modern security threats often come from individuals operating within the very communities they target.

“Conventional warfare in the past used to be state-to-state, country-to-country, so you know who your enemy is. The most dangerous aspect of battles or campaigns is when the enemy is within. That individual whom you are protecting may be the number one enemy trying to take you out immediately he gets the chance,” he said.

Musa stressed that regardless of the efforts of the armed forces and other security agencies, meaningful progress would remain limited without the active support and cooperation of citizens.

“It is important for us to always remember that the armed forces and the security agencies, no matter what they do, if the people are not ready to support them, it makes the task extremely difficult,” he added.

He also urged Nigerians to remain united, warning that terrorists and other criminal groups often exploit societal divisions to advance their activities.

“We must continue to work in unity because it is these gaps that exist between us that these individuals see and try to widen in order to separate and divide us, and we must not let that happen,” the Defence Minister said.

Also speaking at the event, former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, underscored the importance of an independent legislature in sustaining democracy and promoting accountability in governance.

According to Saraki, a legislature that merely approves executive proposals without proper scrutiny fails to perform its constitutional responsibility.

“A legislature that cannot say no is not a legislature at all. A legislature that simply receives executive proposals, approves them without scrutiny and goes home has not fulfilled its constitutional mandate. It has merely performed a ceremonial function,” he said.

Saraki further argued that the independence of the National Assembly should not be viewed as an act of defiance against the executive arm of government but as a fundamental requirement for legitimate and accountable governance.

“The independence of the National Assembly is not rebellion against the government of the day. If the National Assembly is independent, it is the very thing that makes the government legitimate because a mandate that is never tested is a mandate that no one can trust,” he stated.

ADEOLA KUNLE