Nigeria’s Defence Minister, Christopher Musa, has said the country has made major progress in tackling terrorism and insecurity, rating the performance of security agencies at about 65 to 70 percent.
Speaking during an appearance on Arise Television on Friday, Musa stated that although crime still exists, the situation across Nigeria has improved significantly compared to previous years.
He explained that no country in the world is completely free from criminal activities, but stressed that the threat posed by terrorism in Nigeria has reduced drastically.
According to the minister, some of the violent crimes recorded in the country may have political undertones, with certain individuals allegedly trying to make the government appear weak or create the impression that Nigeria is ungovernable.
Musa also blamed the growing insecurity on a decline in moral and family values, saying society must begin to address issues affecting the home and upbringing of children.
“Yes, I’ll give ourselves 65 to 70 percent score. No nation is totally free from crime and criminality, but the level of terrorism across the country has actually drastically reduced,” he said.
“Now we have acts of terrorism, and terrorism, like I said, its a social vice, a failure of family values. We have seen fathers kidnapping children, children kidnapping each other, and brothers kidnapping sisters.”
The defence minister added that many kidnappers and criminals are simply searching for shortcuts to wealth instead of working legitimately for success.
“It tells you that there’s something wrong with the family, and we need to also look inward to see how we can now develop those aspects again, like the issue of education. People need to understand that to make money, work very hard, don’t look for shortcuts.
“Most of these people taking part in those kidnappings and all these things are looking for shortcuts.”
He further argued that the huge ransom demands made by kidnappers suggest that some incidents may be aimed at causing instability rather than purely financial gain.
“And again, you can’t rule out politics, because most of these people they are kidnapping are people that don’t have anything to offer, and you’re asking for one billion naira, knowing that the individual you are kidnapping cannot offer, so what are you doing? Who are you expecting to pay that money?
“And that’s to tell you that there are some times you can look at it as acts of sabotage to make the government look weak, or to make the country look ungovernable, or whatever.”
Musa, however, praised the efforts of the armed forces and security agencies, noting that they remain committed to restoring peace across the country.
He also commended Nigerians for supporting the military, saying cooperation from citizens has improved greatly in recent times.
“However, the armed forces and security forces are working tirelessly to address those issues. I can tell you, Nigerians working with us, and I want to appreciate Nigerians. The level of support we are getting is a lot better than it used to be in the past, and we’re making more inroads.”
