Defence Minister Musa.webp
The Digest:

Nigeria's new Defence Minister, General Christopher Musa, has issued a definitive and aggressive mandate to troops. During his Senate screening, he ordered soldiers to immediately engage armed bandits on sight without waiting for commands, aiming to overhaul a reactive security posture into a proactive, relentless offensive.

Key Points:
  • New Defence Minister Gen. Christopher Musa ordered troops to "shoot on sight" any armed bandits encountered, eliminating delays for orders during combat.
  • He sternly warned that any soldier claiming to wait for authorization in the face of imminent danger is "lying" and a "coward."
  • Musa announced a major strategic shift: planning to withdraw soldiers from routine checkpoints for redeployment to active conflict zones.
  • Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) are slated to take over static checkpoint duties.
  • The core objective is to allow the military to "go into the bushes and take out these criminals" directly.
  • He emphasized that restoring security for farmers to return to their farms is a critical national priority.
  • Musa described the perpetrators of violence as "a bunch of evil people on drugs" and vowed that no Nigerian should be killed with impunity.
This radical shift in rules of engagement plants a flag of absolute offensive action, aiming to root out terror by empowering every soldier as a decisive first responder in the field.

Sources: Leadership Newspaper, Daily Post Nigeria