The minister of defence, Christopher Musa, has revealed plans to redeploy soldiers from road checkpoints to combat terrorists in the bush.
Speaking during his senate screening on Wednesday, the minister said that police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) would take over checkpoint duties, allowing the army to focus on field operations.
Musa highlighted that this strategy would improve the army’s operational effectiveness and ensure faster responses to security threats.
“What we want to do is 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 it is they are,” he said.
Musa emphasized that the move would also protect farmers and revive agricultural activities, which have been disrupted in volatile regions.
He noted that securing farmland is crucial for food security, warning that hunger can exacerbate unrest and violence.
“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.
“If there is hunger, an hungry man is an angry man.
“So, if people can’t eat, you can imagine what will happen,” he added.
Musa also proposed establishing a unified national database to track criminals across state lines, and strengthen law enforcement coordination.
“If we look at first world countries, why are they succeeding?.
“They’ve been able to put some basic things in place, something as simple as a database for all citizens.
“I think that’s one area that we need to be, so that we can also assist the security forces.
“Even developmentally, we need to know the number of people in particular areas so that we can know whether we have markets or schools or hospitals in those areas.
“I think it’s important that we must have a comprehensive database and not the database that immigration will be having, police is having something.
“No, we need a unified one, so that when you commit a crime, it’s easier to track you, it’s easier to trace.
“That aspect that people can easily commit one crime in Sokoto and run to Maiduguri and go and stay, or run to Kano or somewhere and nobody knows them, makes it a lot easier for them,” he said.
Addressing kidnapping and ransom cases, Musa said the government would track illegal payments through the banking system to discourage criminal activity.
“We must stop ransom payments and in doing that the use of technology is very important and like I said, if we’re able to have a database and every Nigerian has a number linked to everything you have electronically, we can monitor anything,” he explained.
Musa also discussed maritime security concerns, including piracy, sea robbery, and cross-border crimes along the Akwa Ibom-Cameroon axis.
He revealed that Operation Delta Safe (OPDS) has been expanded to curb those threats and stressed the importance of banning illegal mining and other activities that fuel insecurity.
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