Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, said the pockets of renewed attacks by Boko Haram and its splinter group, Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) should not be a cause of concern, describing them as eclipse of the terrors groups.
General Musa, who spoke against the backdrop of renewed attacks by Boko Haram/ISWAP especially on military formations and communities in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States in the North East which has resulted in death of soldiers and destruction of military equipment, said that the Armed Forces of Nigeria is determined and ever committed to end the attacks.
The CDS was on Thursday in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital alongside the Service Chiefs and other security leaders on an assessment visit to the Theatre Command North East ‘Operation Hadin Kai.’ On arrival in Maiduguri, General Musa first visited Giwa Barracks where the team accessed the devastating effect caused by multiple explosions that erupted at the Armoury due to heat waves recently.
General Musa and his entourage later drove in their convoy to Maimalari Cantonment where they held a closed door meeting with the Theatre Commander, Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar and other top military brass.
The CDS later told journalists after the meeting that it is important for every citizen to know that security is everybody’s business, urging all Nigerians to key into the fight for peace and development of the country.
General Musa enjoined Journalists to continue to give their maximum support on troops’ success stories, rather than reporting Boko Haram pockets of attacks and giving them cheap publicity.
According to the CDS: ” As you are all aware that in the last three weeks I was in Borno State with Ministers of Defence and other Service Chiefs to assess the security situation in this part of the country. I felt it is good for me to come back to re-assess the renewed attacks, engage with all stakeholders on way forward.
“But let’s say that the pockets of renewed attacks should not be a cause of concern as the Nigerian Military and other security agencies are on top of the situation.
“Security is not a one man business, let me appeal to all and sundry to key into the fight against Boko Haram/ISWAP, banditry, kidnapping and all other forms of criminality for peace and development of our dear country.
“The federal government under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is very much committed to bring lasting peace and development in all nooks and crannies.
“What we are witnessing in this part of the country was an eclipse, because it was a pressure against terrorists in the Sahelian Region, which have forced the terrorists to put pressure on Nigeria, especially in the Lake Chad Basin where the border is very porous and easy for infiltration, we are working assiduously to address these challenges.
“On my trip to Russia recently, Nigeria is non-aligned, and we have engaged with a critical stakeholders who are ready to partner with us in this fight.
“We have also procured more sophisticated weapons which will soon be deployed with new strategies to end the madness of Terrorism.”
Speaking in an address at the maiden Defence Headquarters Workshop on Psychological Operations which held May 13-15 2025, the CDS disclosed that the Nigerian military is adopting new and dynamic strategies to decisively neutralize terrorist elements and restore national stability.
The three-day workshop with theme “Optimizing Psychological Operations for Efficiency in a Joint Environment,” was to deepen collaboration among security stakeholders and explore non-kinetic methods in the fight against insecurity.
General Musa noted that while traditional combat operations continue to pressure insurgents and deny them freedom of movement, the ever-evolving nature of threats in Nigeria demands a shift beyond physical combat.
According to him: “We are more than ever determined to go after all non-state actors to restore peace and stability in the country. With the recent changes in some of the commands in the theatres, we expect new strategies to further destroy the capacities of the terrorists to attack troops’ locations and isolated communities.”
The Defence Chief emphasized that psychological operations—targeting perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors—have become critical in shaping the operational environment in favor of national objectives.
“The prevalent threats in Nigeria’s internal security landscape will not be tackled through kinetic operations alone. The asymmetric dimension of these threats requires a robust and well-coordinated blend of kinetic and non-kinetic efforts,” he stated.
General Musa outlined his leadership vision of a people-centric and collaborative Armed Forces capable of effectively fulfilling its constitutional duties within a joint operational framework. He described the workshop as timely, noting the importance of psychological operations in the modern warfare landscape.
He lauded the commitment of security personnel and participating experts, expressing confidence that the workshop would yield practical and innovative outcomes.
“With the quality of resource persons assembled, I am confident that this workshop will be fruitful and rewarding,” he added.