By John Umeh

Nigeria’s new Defence Minister, Gen. Christopher Musa, has drawn a sharp line in the country’s fight against insecurity, insisting that the era of negotiating with terrorists or paying ransom must come to a definitive end. Appearing before the Senate for his ministerial screening, Musa warned that years of ransom payments had helped terror networks grow richer, deadlier, and bolder.

According to him, every naira handed to bandits, kidnappers, and insurgents empowers them with weapons, supplies, and the time needed to stage fresh attacks. “Communities that negotiated in the past still ended up being attacked,” he told lawmakers, arguing that negotiation only postpones violence rather than preventing it.

Musa said Nigeria already has the technology and banking capacity to trace illicit ransom flows, adding that a firm national stance against payments is the only sustainable way to weaken criminal enterprises. But he also stressed that military power alone could not solve the crisis.

The Bigger Problem: Nigeria Has No Unified Identity System

The Defence Minister lamented that Nigeria’s fight against terrorists is handicapped by the absence of a single national database linking citizens’ identities with their banking, telecom, residence, travel, and government records.
He described the current data landscape — where immigration, quarantine, road safety, financial institutions, and other agencies each maintain separate databases — as “one of the most dangerous gaps in the country’s security architecture.”

According to him, criminals exploit these bureaucratic divisions, using fake identities, multiple SIM cards, unregistered accounts, and untracked routes to evade security agencies.
“With a unified database, a single crime would immediately trigger nationwide tracking,” Musa said. “We should be able to deactivate a suspect’s digital access instantly — just like other countries do.”

He urged federal, state and local governments to strengthen their responsibilities, warning that communities often fail to provide crucial local intelligence early enough.

Justice Delayed, Security Weakens

Musa criticised Nigeria’s slow justice system, especially the prolonged terrorism trials that drag on for years. He said the delays are discouraging for soldiers who risk their lives to arrest suspects only to see their cases stagnate in court.

To address this, he recommended:

Special courts exclusively for terrorism and kidnapping cases
Stronger sentencing laws
Fast-tracked hearings for high-risk offenders

He noted that without timely justice, Nigeria cannot break the cycle of violence.

Growing Threats Beyond Banditry

The minister also warned senators of emerging criminal hotspots — including renewed piracy, sea robbery, and coastal kidnappings across maritime corridors stretching toward Cameroon.
Operation Delta Safe, he revealed, had already been expanded to respond to fresh incursions.

Musa further called for a complete shutdown of illegal mining operations, which he described as a major source of funding for armed militias in forest belts.

Troops to Leave Routine Roadblocks as Military Refocuses on Offensive Operations

General Musa said the armed forces intend to reduce road checkpoints nationwide and redeploy troops into forests, border zones, and ungoverned areas where terrorists operate camps.
According to him, the priority is to restore access to farmlands — a step he linked directly to food security and national stability.

“A hungry nation is an unstable nation. Protecting farmers is protecting the future of this country,” he told lawmakers.

He also revealed challenges in military recruitment: despite 70,000 applicants each year, many young recruits later resist deployment to combat zones. A centralised national identity system, he said, would help eliminate fraudulent enlistment and track applicants more transparently.

Musa closed his screening with a personal pledge:
“I cannot fail this nation. Nigerians want peace. We must deliver it.”

Reps Demand Transparent Terrorism Trials, Massive Security Reforms

On the same day Musa faced the Senate, the House of Representatives concluded a high-level, three-day national security debate resulting in one of the most sweeping sets of reform recommendations in recent years.

The lawmakers called for:

Open and transparent prosecution of terrorism-related cases, with witness identities protected through masking or voice alteration
Stronger financial monitoring tools to curb terrorism financing
Expanded digital payment systems across rural communities
Rapid release of security funds and first-line charge budgeting
Reorganisation of military strategies, including a partial return from “super-camp” doctrines to forward bases
Creation of new Army and Police formations in volatile regions

The House also urged the establishment of a Joint Intelligence Fusion Centre, the deployment of drones and AI-driven border surveillance tools, and a unified electronic tracking system for all weapons in Nigeria.

Lawmakers commended President Bola Tinubu for recent security measures, including recruitment of 20,000 additional police officers and reallocating VIP security escorts to core policing duties.

Debate Over Open Trials

Human rights lawyers expressed mixed views over the proposal to open terrorism trials.

Evans Ufeli argued that open trials would not shame terrorists, who already flaunt their identities online, but stressed that witness protection is essential.
Deji Adeyanju dismissed lawmakers’ sincerity, accusing some politicians of privately negotiating with terrorists.
Effiong Inibehe, however, fully supported open trials, saying transparency would strengthen public trust, provided witnesses are properly shielded.

Senate Moves to Introduce Death Penalty for Kidnappers and Terror Sponsors

While the House debated prosecution reforms, the Senate began reviewing amendments to the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, seeking harsher penalties for kidnapping and terrorism-linked crimes.

Led by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, the proposal would:

Classify kidnapping, hostage-taking and related offences as acts of terrorism
Impose the death penalty on offenders
Include penalties for financiers, informants, collaborators and enablers

At plenary, senators across party lines described kidnapping as a full-scale commercial enterprise driven by organised groups with military-grade weapons.
Senator Orji Uzor Kalu cited the devastating emotional and economic toll on families, while Senator Adams Oshiomhole rejected ongoing deradicalisation programmes, claiming many released suspects return to crime.

“This is terrorism in its purest form,” Bamidele declared. “Nigerians are kidnapped everywhere — on roads, in schools, on farms. The nation is living under siege.”

Senate President Godswill Akpabio referred the amendment bill to three committees — Judiciary, National Security, and Interior — with a two-week deadline to return recommendations.

A Turning Point or Another Missed Opportunity?

The combined actions of the Defence Minister, Senate, and House underscore a rare moment of unified national urgency. For the first time in years, lawmakers, security chiefs, and legal experts appear aligned on one fact: Nigeria’s security crisis requires drastic, coordinated, technology-driven reforms.

Yet, underlying the debates are old questions:

Will political will last beyond the headlines?
Will reforms translate into field results?
Will witness protection, digital tracking, and fast-track courts actually be implemented?
Will the ban on ransom payments hold under pressure from desperate families?

What is clear is that the country is entering a decisive new phase in its long battle against terrorism, banditry, and organised crime.
Whether the momentum leads to real change or becomes another cycle of unfulfilled security promises will depend on execution — not declarations.

‘No More Deals With Terrorists’ — Defence Minister Declares as Lawmakers Push Tougher Anti-Crime Laws