Ex-Chief of Defence Staff Musa Approved by Senate as Defence Minister

 The Senate has confirmed the appointment of former Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, as Nigeria’s new Minister of Defence following an extensive five-hour screening on Wednesday. His confirmation came just a day after President Bola Tinubu forwarded his name to the Senate for approval.

General Musa steps into the role at a critical time, as insecurity
particularly the rising cases of school abductions—continues to threaten communities across the country. His screening coincided with the recent kidnapping of 25 students in Maga, Kebbi State, amid troubling reports that security personnel had withdrawn from the area shortly before the attack.

Responding to lawmakers’ questions, General Musa stated that investigating the alleged troop withdrawal would be one of his first actions as minister. He emphasized that the Nigerian military does not abandon its responsibilities and assured that the matter would be thoroughly probed.

“We are going to go after them fully, working together with all security agencies and MDAs,” he said. He added that the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence would ensure proper oversight to prevent such lapses in the future.

General Musa, who was accompanied by his family during the hearing, pledged to strengthen inter-agency coordination and enhance operational efficiency in tackling the nation’s escalating security challenges.

Key Commitments Highlighted in General Musa’s Speech

During his Senate screening on Wednesday, Defence Ministerial nominee General Christopher Musa (rtd) emphasized the urgent need for nationwide regional cooperation to effectively defeat banditry and rising cross-border threats.

Musa noted that the South-West region’s comparatively stronger security performance is a direct result of the collective agreement among governors to work together. He urged other regions to adopt the same strategy, stressing that Nigeria cannot win the security war without unified action.

According to him, security agencies must operate “in harmony” to successfully curb banditry.

“We have to harmonise all of them. All the security agencies need to come together,” he told lawmakers.

Musa warned that fragmented efforts will continue to weaken the country’s response to insecurity, stressing:

“Why the South-West seems to be doing very well is because they all agreed together. That’s why regionally, governments must come together — because two is better than one.”

Bandits Exploiting Porous Borders

The former Chief of Defence Staff also highlighted how bandits take advantage of Nigeria’s porous northern borders, especially in the North-West. He explained that criminals often escape into the Niger Republic after attacks in areas like Sokoto, making it difficult for Nigerian forces to pursue them.

“Bandits do not respect borders. When you pursue them around Sokoto area, they enter Niger, and once they enter Niger you can’t touch them until they come back,” Musa noted.

Strengthening the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF)

Musa called for strengthening the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), particularly along the Niger–Mali–Burkina Faso corridor, which he identified as a major infiltration route used by extremist and criminal groups aiming for Nigeria’s North-Central and South-West regions.

“We need to increase the MNJTF’s capacity to hold them down towards the border with Mali and Burkina Faso,” he said.
“That’s where we are having those incursions into Kwara down to the South-West. We have to stop them before they advance further.”