Eric Patrick
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, has advocated fencing borders to curtail the movement of terrorists and other transborder crimes.
He said this when he delivered a keynote address at the inaugural Voice of Nigeria (VON) security summit with the theme: “Renewed Hope Agenda: Citizens’ Engagement and National Security” in Abuja, on Tuesday.
General Musa also called for good governance at the local level as a means of tackling the root cause of insecurity in the country.
Musa said Nigeria needs a comprehensive database of its citizens and foreigners to enable it to track and arrest criminals within its territorial space.
He said, “I look at the aspect of good governance which is critical for dividends of democracy and local government autonomy. These are aspects that will help secure our country.
“Do we have a comprehensive database as Nigerians? We need a census that will capture every Nigerian in the world, not only in Nigeria.
“If you go abroad and commit crime, you will be caught because there is a database to fall back on.
“Border management is very critical. We have had countries that, because of the level of insecurity in their country, had to fence their borders. If you mentioned this in Nigeria people will say this is impossible.
“Pakistan fenced 1,350 kilometers of border with Afghanistan that was the only time they had peace. Saudi Arabia and Iraq, 1,400 km border, are completely fenced.
“Can we start thinking of fencing our border, we have 1,500 with the Niger Republic, 1,900 kilometers with Cameroon.
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“Chad is there, all over us we are surrounded by francophone countries. The Sahel is heating up; if the Sahel falls it is Nigeria that they are interested in.”
He reiterated the need for national unity and citizen collaboration to overcome Nigeria’s security challenges, adding that the country remains resilient despite threats and negative narratives.
Musa stated that no one will come from outside to liberate Nigeria. If the military fails, the nation fails, but Nigeria will not fail.
The Defence chief emphasised the role of the media in combating misinformation and disinformation, warning that the spread of falsehoods undermines national cohesion.
According to him, victory is only possible in the ongoing fight against insecurity through public cooperation.
He further said, “We live in a time where people celebrate failure. Some don’t understand that when the economy collapses, everyone is affected; they have failed too.
“It is the silence of citizens that enables terrorists to thrive. Ask yourself, who is feeding them? Who supplies their ammunition? Do you want to become a refugee in your own country?
“This forum is timely, as it allows citizens to hear directly from their leaders and to counter the flood of misinformation. Some wish to see Nigeria disintegrate; we must never allow that.
“Our soldiers are heroes. Many have lost limbs, lives, and loved ones. They have sacrificed so we can enjoy the democracy we have today. We must never forget them.”