• Says such actions undermining FG’s counterterrorism efforts

Earlier in the week, the BBC Hausa Service held an exclusive interview with the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd), during which he shared his views on key national security issues. The interview was translated by MUSA UMAR BOLOGI. Excerpts:

You are appointed as Minister of Defence at a critical period the country is facing various security challenges. What do you think you can do differently to curtail insecurity in the country?

It is not everything I will say here. This is because the terrorists are also watching or listening to everything we say. But what I can say is that the citizens should continue to support us. The President has given us the equipment we will use to work. Even the technology, which will help us very well, since it is technology that we will use to trace the criminals. We can’t deploy soldiers everywhere, but with technology we will be able to know where the terrorists are, and take action.

We are in collaboration with the Republic of Chad, Cameroon, Niger, and Mali. We can fight the terrorists alone, because these terrorists entered Nigeria through those countries, so there is the need for us to work together to defeat them.

In the past you suggested that Nigeria should fence its borders. Are you still holding this position?

Yes, I do. This will prevent criminals that will come into our country and commit havoc and return to their country. It is not everywhere that will be fenced, because there are places that are occupied by water. But those areas that need to be fenced, it will help us a lot. Everywhere the criminals enter, we will be able to take them down.

But the most important thing is that people should report to the appropriate authorities wherever they see those criminals. This is what helped us in Maiduguri.

Secondly, people should desist from collaborating with the terrorists. Those buying them items – food, water, giving them information – should desist. What I want people to know is that we can only defeat these criminals, if people join hands and work together with government and security forces. What I want people to know is that if you work with criminals and they give them money, that money is blood money. And God will ask you where you get that money, why do you kill people or support people that kill others.

One of the issues that dominated the airwaves recently was the issue of United States saying terrorists are killing Christians in Nigeria. Do you believe in that?

I believe that terrorists are killing Nigerians – Not only Christians, but both Muslims and Christians. Everybody. The terrorists don’t discriminate on who to kill. They don’t have a conscience. They don’t care who they kill. We also explain this to the U.S government, that terrorists kill every Nigerian, irrespective of faith. We wanted them to understand this so that they don’t escalate the problem from their statements. We need the help of the U.S to enable us to eliminate these terrorists and have peace in Nigeria.

Initially, the U.S government didn’t understand the complexity of terrorism in Nigeria, but we went to them and told them. They also came here and saw things for themselves. And recently, the U.S President, Donald Trump concluded that it is not only Christians that are being killed , but also Muslims. Even those that did not have religion.

The recent airstrikes by America, did it kill the terrorists?

Yes, they killed many of the terrorists. And those that survived ran to the Niger Republic, where they were before. It is from Niger the Lakurawa terrorists came into Nigeria. Do you know how the Lakurawa came to Nigeria? People invited them to come and help them. I’m warning our people we should allow anybody to come with the guise that they want to come and help them do this or that. That is how the Lakurawa came into our country. And before they realized it, they started killing people.

Like we used to say, we should work together and protect our country. Nobody loves our country more than us, and nobody can protect it more than us. We should all work together with the government, the sexy agencies and the citizens for us to secure and maintain peace in our country.

Government is involving a non-kinetic approaches to solve terrorism. Is a peace deal one of the ways?

No. Peace deal with terrorists is never one of our non-kinetic means. The terrorists don’t respect pecan deals. It is a camouflage. It is only when they are looking for something, and if you trust them they will renegade and later attack you.

Like we told them in Katsina State not to go to peace deal with bandits. The bandits don’t believe in a peace deal, they are lying.

We are urging people to stop negotiating or going into a peace deal with terrorists. Even the State Governments that are into it should stop. They are not supposed to go into a peace deal with bandits. There is no truth in peace deal with bandits, because the bandits won’t honour it. Bandits are not people that have the fear of God.

The peace deal the people and some state government are going into with bandits is spoiling our work at the federal level. They are doing that and people are saying they should not touch the bandits because they are in a peace deal with them, but the bandits continue to kill people.

We have told all the local or state Governments that are into peace deals with bandits to stop. You know this is a democracy not a military rule where we can take unilateral decisions. But we continue to take to the local and state governments on this.

What about ransom payment to free kidnap victims?

General Musa: That is a capital no. When people continue to pay ransom to terrorists or bandits, the situation will continue to escalate because criminals will not stop. This is why we warn against paying ransom to terrorists, but allow the security forces to do their job.

What about allegations that the federal government is also paying ransom to terrorists to secure release of kidnap victims?

The federal government does not pay ransom to terrorists or bandits. As far as our position is concerned on fighting terrorism, we don’t pay ransom to terrorists.

What about the allegations that ransom was paid to secure the release of pupils that were kidnapped by bandits in Niger State, recently?

General Musa: These are mere allegations. In most cases when the bandits kidnap students, they keep them in their camps, but when the heat becomes too much due to operations by troops looking for the kidnap victims, in most cases the troops will see the students and the kidnappers or bandits had run away leaving the children behind. So, the troop will have the opportunities of rescuing the students. But we never paid ransom.

Till now terrorists and bandits have continued to wreak havoc in the country. Have they overwhelmed the security forces?

Never. Like we said earlier, the country is very large. So if the security forces are pursuing the terrorists here, the terrorists will move to another place where there are no security forces and wreak their havoc. That is why we urge people to always report movements of suspicious people to security agencies. We also urge the state government to also help by ensuring engagement of youth into gainful ventures. They should provide schools, hospitals and other social amenities. All these will help in combating criminality. Because it will prevent youth recruitment into bandits or terrorists.

If there is hunger and poverty, all these invite criminality – people will join bandit groups. That is why even as security forces are eliminating the terrorists and bandits, they are increasing in number because more people are joining them.

What do you say about terrorists collaborators within the security agencies?

Those people don’t love their country. They are lies. Our troops are working day and night to protect and restore peace to this country.

What is your advice to Nigerians?

Nigerians should know that God is with us and we will be victorious. My advice is that people should stop associating with terrorists and bandits. Wherever they see them, people should report to security agencies, they will take action. We should all work together to restore peace in our country.

There is no country without security challenges. No country. What is important is for them to use technology and people to solve the problem.