Local informants fueling terror operations – Defence Minister

The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), has said the fight against terrorism, insurgency and banditry in Nigeria remains difficult because criminal groups continue to receive support from sponsors and local collaborators within communities.

General Musa made the remarks on Friday during the 2026 edition of The Platform Nigeria, an annual national discourse organised to mark Democracy Day.

The event, hosted by Pastor Poju Oyemade, Senior Pastor and Founder of The Covenant Nation, focused on the theme, “Governance, Democracy and National Security.”

Speaking during the session, General Musa said insecurity cannot be defeated through military operations alone, stressing that terrorist groups depend heavily on information, logistics, supplies and support from people living within affected communities.

According to him, citizens have a major role to play if meaningful progress is to be achieved in the battle against insecurity.

“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.

“I can tell you that with what is going on with the challenges we have in the country — banditry, insurgency and terrorism — why does it seem so difficult to deal with them? Perhaps, we have people who are also encouraging and supporting these things because the terrorists and bandits survive among the people.”

The minister stated that terrorists survive through local support systems including access to food, intelligence and operational logistics.

“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.”

Security threats now exist within communities

General Musa explained that unlike traditional warfare where enemies are clearly identifiable, modern security threats increasingly originate from within local populations.

“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 stressed that security agencies alone cannot eliminate insecurity without public trust, intelligence sharing and active community participation.

“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.”

The Defence Minister also urged Nigerians to remain united, warning that criminal groups often exploit social divisions to expand their operations and weaken national stability.

“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.”

Saraki calls for stronger legislative independence

Also speaking at the event, former Senate President Bukola Saraki emphasised the need for an independent legislature as a foundation for democratic accountability.

Mr Saraki argued that lawmakers must be willing to scrutinise executive decisions rather than merely approving proposals.

“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.”

He added that legislative independence strengthens democratic legitimacy and builds public confidence in 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.”