Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has reiterated his call for the construction of a border wall and the deployment of modern surveillance technology to curb the influx of terrorists, bandits and other transnational criminals into the country.
Musa made the remarks during a recent interview with BBC Hausa, where he stressed that Nigeria’s porous borders remain a major factor enabling armed groups to move freely across countries, carry out attacks within Nigeria, and escape without detection.
Responding to a question on whether he still believes in his earlier proposal for a border fence to address insecurity, the defence minister answered emphatically in the affirmative.
“Yes, yes, yes, absolutely,” Musa said. “If we build it, it will help us prevent people who bring illegal substances into the country, and it will also stop criminals from entering, carrying out attacks, and escaping.”
He explained that while physical barriers such as walls and fences would be effective in many areas, they cannot be constructed everywhere due to geographical challenges, including water bodies and difficult terrain.
According to him, these limitations make it necessary for Nigeria to complement physical infrastructure with advanced technology.
“In addition to physical barriers, it is not everywhere that a wall can be built; there are places with water where a wall cannot be constructed,” he said. “There are also modern technological devices that can be installed, which can monitor movements and show where people are coming from.”
Musa, however, emphasised that beyond infrastructure and technology, the cooperation of citizens remains critical to winning the fight against insecurity.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious movements or individuals to security agencies.
“What is most important is for people to understand that when they see suspicious individuals like these, they should know where and how to report them,” he said. “When we act quickly, that is what helps us most.”
The minister also appealed to members of the public to stop collaborating with terrorists and bandits in any form, warning that such actions only prolong violence and suffering across communities.
“That is why we are appealing to the public: stop associating with them, those who supply them with food, those who sell things to them should stop,” Musa said.
“Those who give them information like, ‘Soldiers have been seen here,’ or ‘There are three military vehicles around,’ should stop.”
He described any financial benefit derived from aiding criminals as “blood money” and issued a moral warning to those involved.
“People should understand that the money they get from such dealings is blood money,” he said. “And God will question you in the end: ‘Where did you get it? Why did you do this? Why did you help kill people?’”
Musa thanked Nigerians for their continued support of the armed forces and assured the public that the government is intensifying efforts to tackle insecurity nationwide.
“First of all, I thank you for this opportunity, and I also thank the citizens for the support they are giving us,” he said. “This is not something we will just sit down and keep talking about, because they, too, are listening and they want to hear what we are going to do.”
According to him, President Bola Tinubu is providing increased support, including equipment and other resources, to strengthen the capacity of the military and security agencies.
“What we need to tell Nigerians is that we will increase our level of commitment and work together, and the President is also providing us with more support and the tools we need to work with,” Musa stated.
He highlighted the growing role of technology in military operations, noting that surveillance tools now allow security forces to monitor and respond to threats without deploying troops to every location.
“Technology will help us a lot, because in the past we could not deploy soldiers everywhere,” he said.
“But if we have technology, we can see where they are from a distance. And once information is received or a call is made to alert us, we will take action.”
The defence minister also underscored the importance of regional cooperation, stressing that Nigeria cannot tackle cross-border crime alone given the nature of its boundaries.
“With the support of citizens and other people, including those from Niger, Chad, Cameroon, and the Republic of Benin, we are all working together,” Musa said.
“Given our borders, we cannot do it alone; we must collaborate with them. This is because many of these criminals come from outside Nigeria, entering from those neighbouring countries.”
Addressing recent claims by the United States that Christians are being targeted and killed in Nigeria, Musa rejected the narrative, saying the violence affects Nigerians of all faiths and backgrounds.
“I agree that Nigerians are being killed, not only Christians or Muslims, but everyone,” he said. “These people have no regard for human life, they have no faith, and they do not care who they kill.”
He added that the Nigerian government has clarified the situation to U.S. officials to correct what he described as a misunderstanding.
“We also explained this to the Americans, that it is citizens who are being killed,” Musa said. “The support we want is help to eliminate these terrorists completely so that Nigeria can be safe.”
When asked whether cooperation with the United States means Nigeria agrees with its position, the minister said it does not.
“No, no, not at all,” he said. “They came from outside and did not fully understand the situation, so we explained it to them. They came here, we sat down with them, and they saw things for themselves.”
Musa added that even U.S. President Donald Trump later acknowledged that the killings in Nigeria were not limited to Christians alone.
“He later came out and said, ‘No, it is not only Christians who are being killed; Muslims and people with no religion are also being killed,’” the minister said.
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Speaking on recent airstrikes carried out by the Nigerian military in states such as Sokoto, Musa said the operations dealt a heavy blow to bandit groups.
“Many bandits were killed, very many, very seriously,” he said, adding that most of the survivors fled back to the Niger Republic, where many of them came from.
“You know that many of these criminals originate from Niger and then return there,” he said. “That is why we warn people not to allow themselves to be deceived into thinking that outsiders will come and help us from another country.”
He warned against the infiltration of armed groups who initially present themselves as friendly outsiders before seizing land and unleashing violence.
“The moment these Lakurawa entered, they settled in like friends, and over time they began to take over land and started killing people,” Musa said.
The defence minister urged Nigerians to remain united and work closely with the government and security agencies to restore peace and security across the country.
“As we have said, we must stay together, protect our country, and understand that no one loves Nigeria more than Nigerians themselves,” he said. “We must work with the government and security agencies to achieve peace.”