Security breaches drop by 65% nationwide — Defence Minister
The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Abubakar, on Wednesday, said incidents of security breaches have been reduced by an estimated 65% across the country.
He also said terrorism and banditry in the country are under control, adding that the Armed Forces would continue until the nation achieves an insignificant level of breaches.
The minister, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Ibrahim Kana, spoke at the press briefing heralding the 2025 Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebration in Abuja.
He said “The Armed Forces of Nigeria has risen to these challenges irrespective of the costs paid by our troops. For this reason, we now have a situation that is under control. When bandits and criminals formulate new techniques and establish new bases when dislodged, the Armed Forces have continued to adopt new strategies and switch up their tactics to take the battle to their doorsteps.
“Thanks to the renewed vigour, incidents of security breaches have been reduced by an estimated 65% across the country and the Armed Forces will continue until the nation achieves an insignificant level of breaches on its security.”
Badaru also lamented that the fight against banditry and terrorism was draining the resources of the country.
He specifically said the designation of bandits as terrorists has not helped in the fight against the scourge.
Badaru said, “Our dear nation, Nigeria, has been bedevilled by serious internal security concerns for over a decade. These challenges have stretched the resources of our nation and the Armed Forces to restore normalcy.
“The war on insurgency has led the pack of security challenges threatening the corporate existence of our dear nation. As the nation was beginning to heave a sigh of relief from the insurgency in the North East, new frontiers of terror emerged in the North West and North Central in the form of banditry, cattle rustling, and kidnapping. The earlier classification of this brand of terror as banditry did not help the cause of its eradication. However, as far as we are concerned, today the bandits are terrorists/insurgents.”
Badaru stated that the military led by the Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa, has brought back the Niger Republic into the Multinational Joint Task Force.
He added that the country’s return would help in securing the nation’s border with Niger.
Badaru also said it would contribute to the effectiveness of the task force.
He said, “In consolidating efforts to end the insurgency, the Nigerian Armed Forces led by the Chief of Defence Staff has recently got the Republic of Niger back into the MNJTF. This will no doubt help in securing our very extensive border with that country as well as contribute to the overall effectiveness of the Joint Task Force.
He reiterated that the Federal Government, through the Defence Headquarters, Ministry of Defence, and relevant Agencies, will continue to de-radicalize and rehabilitate repentant insurgents to live peaceful and productive lives despite resistance by citizens.
“We, therefore, continue to call for cooperation from our citizens who are rightly aggrieved by the past deeds of these repentant insurgents. We all have to realise and appreciate the need to quickly end this war to usher in an era of peace and mutual coexistence for the development of our beloved fatherland,”.
He assured that the federal government will continue to prioritize the welfare, training, and equipment needs of troops to maintain their operational readiness and efficiency even as it looks forward to adopting a proactive approach to combating security challenges by harnessing intelligence resources and having stronger partnerships with West African neighbours.
