Christopher Musa, Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, has said the country’s battle against terrorism, banditry and insurgency remains challenging because criminal groups continue to receive support from sponsors and collaborators within local communities.
Speaking on Friday at the 2026 edition of the annual national discourse, The Platform Nigeria 2026, Musa said security agencies would find it difficult to completely eliminate criminal elements as long as they continue to enjoy access to food, logistics, intelligence and funding from members of the public.
The event, held to commemorate Democracy Day and monitored on Channels Television, was hosted by Poju Oyemade and focused on the theme, “Governance, Democracy and National Security.”
Defence Minister stressed that the success of efforts to combat insecurity depends largely on the willingness of citizens to reject, expose and deny support to criminal networks operating within their communities.
“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,” Musa said.
