Defence Minister Musa Orders Major Strategic Shift: Troops to Withdraw from Checkpoints to Confront Bandits in Forests

Abuja, Nigeria — Nigeria's newly sworn-in Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd.), has announced a major strategic overhaul of the country’s internal security operations, centered on the immediate withdrawal of military personnel from routine road checkpoints nationwide.

The policy shift, unveiled during his recent confirmation hearing at the Senate, is designed to redeploy frontline troops to where they are needed most: the forests and ungoverned spaces that serve as hideouts for bandits, kidnappers, and terrorists.

General Musa stated that the military’s primary role is kinetic warfare against hardened criminals, a mission hampered by the long-standing practice of manning static checkpoints.

"We want to withdraw basically all military men out of checkpoints and let the police and civil defence corps handle those aspects so that we can go into the bushes and take out these criminals wherever they are," the Minister declared.

Empowering Civil Authorities

Under the new directive, routine checkpoint duties and internal security functions typically performed by soldiers will be transferred back to the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

This realignment is intended to free up thousands of highly trained soldiers for aggressive, sustained operations in high-risk zones. The Minister noted that this move would ensure the Armed Forces are fully focused on their core mandate: direct combat operations and safeguarding national borders.

Food Security as a Strategic Priority

General Musa linked the immediate redeployment to a broader strategy aimed at restoring economic stability, particularly food production. He emphasized that for security efforts to be deemed successful, farmers must be able to return to their fields without fear of attack.

"Farmers must be able to go back to their farms. That is to show that we're achieving success because as little as that, it is very important because food security is big," he explained, adding the crucial observation, "a hungry man is an angry man."

The Minister pledged to work closely with the Civil Defence Corps, which operates agro-rangers, to ensure the protection of farmlands and local communities, thereby demonstrating a tangible shift in military effectiveness.

Other Key Security Pillars

Beyond the checkpoint withdrawal, General Musa outlined several other key strategies aimed at crippling criminal networks, including:

• No Negotiation Policy: Vowing that there would be "no negotiation with any criminal" and stressing the need to eliminate ransom payments, which fund criminal activities.

• Unified National Database: Advocating for the establishment of a comprehensive, unified national database linking identity, banking, and security systems to make it easier to track and apprehend criminals across state lines.

• Targeting Terrorism Financing: Stating that the military will clamp down on illegal mining and other activities that serve as major financial lifelines for armed groups.

The announcement signals a decisive break from the decades-long practice of over-relying on the military for routine policing duties, a structural weakness experts have long blamed for the military’s stretched capacity and the escalating insurgency.