How I Will Tackle Kidnapping Without Negotiation, Ransom Payment to Terrorists — Defence Minister, Gen Musa

• Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa, has ruled out any form of negotiation or ransom payment to terrorists, warning that such actions fuel insecurity.

• During his ministerial screening, he called for a unified national database, faster terrorism trials, stronger penalties, and renewed focus on intelligence and technology-driven security reforms.

Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, declared on Thursday that Nigeria must never negotiate with or pay ransom to terrorists, stressing that such practices only empower criminal groups and prolong violence across the country.

Appearing before the Senate for his ministerial screening, the retired general warned that ransom payments “buy terrorists time to regroup, re-arm and launch fresh attacks,” noting that communities that negotiated with criminal groups had “still been attacked afterwards.”

He insisted that Nigeria’s banking and digital payment systems were capable of tracing suspicious financial flows and urged government at all levels to enforce a complete ban on ransom payments.

‘A unified national database is critical’

Gen. Musa identified Nigeria’s fragmented data systems as a major weakness in the country’s fight against insecurity, arguing that a single, integrated national database was urgently required to track criminals, block illicit transactions and prevent repeat offenders from evading justice.

“Something as simple as a unified database for all citizens is urgently needed. Not a situation where immigration has one, quarantine has another,” he said. “Once you commit a crime, it should be easy to track and trace you.”

He added that integrating ICT into security operations would enable real-time monitoring of ransom payments, profiling of criminal networks and faster investigative processes.

‘Kinetic efforts alone cannot win the war’

General Musa stressed that military operations account for only 25–30 per cent of the overall counter-insurgency effort, adding that poverty, illiteracy, poor governance and weak local structures continued to sustain violent crimes.

He urged governors, local government chairmen and traditional institutions to take greater responsibility for community-level intelligence, early warning and conflict prevention.

Musa also criticised Nigeria’s slow judicial process, noting that terrorism and kidnapping cases drag on for years, discouraging frontline security personnel. He recommended special terrorism courts and accelerated hearings.

Maritime crime, cultism, illegal mining worsening threats

The minister raised concerns about renewed criminal activities along maritime corridors between Akwa Ibom and Cameroon, including piracy, sea robbery and coastal kidnappings. He confirmed that Operation Delta Safe had been expanded to cover newly infiltrated areas.

Musa called for a total ban on illegal mining, describing it as a major revenue source for armed groups operating in forested regions.

Military checkpoints to reduce as troops redeploy to the field

He announced plans to withdraw soldiers from routine checkpoints nationwide to strengthen targeted operations inside forests and ungoverned spaces. Restoring access to farmlands, he said, remained a top priority for food security.

“A hungry man is an angry man. Protecting farmers means protecting the nation,” he said.

Recruitment challenges and national expectations

Musa revealed that although over 70,000 Nigerians apply to join the military annually, many recruits resist deployment to conflict-prone areas. A unified national database, he argued, would enhance recruitment transparency and eliminate identity fraud.

On rising public expectations, he said: “I cannot afford to fail my nation or my family. Nigerians want peace, and we must deliver it.’’

House of Reps Pushes Transparent Terrorism Trials

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives adopted far-reaching national security reform resolutions after a three-day special debate, including a call for open and transparent prosecution of all terrorism-related cases.

The session featured testimonies from lawmakers, experts and field assessments from conflict zones. The resolutions covered institutional restructuring, judicial reforms, intelligence upgrades, welfare improvements, socio-economic interventions and international partnerships.

Lawmakers commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent security measures, including the recruitment of 20,000 police officers and enhanced support for state-level security outfits.

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Key reforms proposed by the House include:

• placing all security expenditure on first-line charge;
• strengthening cashless systems to curb terrorism financing;
• reviewing the military’s “super-camp” strategy;
• expanding police, military and civil defence formations in volatile regions;
• establishing a Joint Intelligence Fusion Centre and anti-kidnap fusion cell;
• deploying drones, biometrics, AI analytics and satellite systems for border security;
• creating a national weapons tracking mechanism;
• establishing state police through constitutional amendment;
• drastically reducing VIP protection details;
• naming and prosecuting terrorism financiers;
• creating a special court for terrorism, kidnapping and banditry;
• setting up a Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission.

Human rights experts expressed mixed reactions over calls for open terrorism trials. While some support transparency, others warned that unprotected witnesses could be exposed to retaliation.

Senate Backs Death Penalty for Kidnapping and Sponsorship

In another major development, the Senate moved to impose the death penalty for kidnapping and related crimes, including financing, enabling or providing intelligence to kidnappers.

The amendment, sponsored by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, seeks to classify kidnapping as an act of terrorism — granting security agencies broader powers to disrupt criminal networks across the country.

Senators Adams Oshiomhole, Orji Uzor Kalu and Abba Moro were among those who supported the amendment, arguing that the severity of kidnapping now mirrors organised terrorism.

After extensive debate, the Senate unanimously passed the amendment and referred it to relevant committees for further legislative action.