By Julius Peter
The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), has declared that Nigeria’s fight against terrorism is yielding significant results, insisting that the country has defeated terrorists to a large extent and that attacks are no longer as rampant as they were in previous years.
Musa’s assertion comes amid continuing military operations against terrorist and bandit groups across parts of the country, particularly in the North-East and North-West, where security agencies have intensified offensive and intelligence-led operations.
The minister has consistently maintained that the Federal Government is making progress in restoring security, even as he acknowledges that terrorism, banditry and other forms of criminality remain challenges requiring sustained military and civilian cooperation.
Speaking on the security situation, Musa said the changing nature and frequency of attacks demonstrated that the country’s security forces had substantially weakened the operational capacity of terrorist groups.
According to him, the objective of the government is not merely to respond to attacks but to dismantle the networks, logistics and support systems that enable terrorist organisations to survive.
His position reflects the government’s broader narrative that sustained military pressure, improved intelligence gathering, acquisition of military equipment and greater cooperation among security agencies are gradually turning the tide against violent extremist groups.
Recent developments indicate that the Nigerian military has continued to mount offensive operations against Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, elements in the North-East.
In August, troops of Operation Hadin Kai reportedly foiled an ISWAP attack on a military location in Biu Local Government Area of Borno State, killing several terrorists and recovering weapons and ammunition.
The development followed another operation in Yobe State in July, where troops reportedly intercepted terrorists allegedly moving to collect illegal levies from communities. Weapons and ammunition were recovered during the operation.
Such operations have become a major component of the military’s strategy to prevent terrorist groups from establishing safe havens and extending their influence over vulnerable communities.
Musa has repeatedly directed troops and other security personnel to act decisively against terrorists and bandits, warning against unnecessary delays in responding to threats. In July, he told security personnel that officers should not hesitate to engage criminals while waiting for additional orders.
The security landscape confronting Nigeria today is considerably more complicated than the conventional Boko Haram insurgency that dominated national attention more than a decade ago.
While Boko Haram and ISWAP remain active, the country is also dealing with banditry, kidnapping, communal violence, farmer-herder conflicts, separatist-related violence and other forms of organised criminality.
This distinction is important because a reduction in terrorist attacks does not necessarily mean that Nigerians in every part of the country are experiencing a corresponding reduction in insecurity.
The Defence Minister himself acknowledged in June that terrorism and banditry remain difficult to eliminate partly because criminal groups receive assistance from people within communities where they operate.
Musa said terrorists and bandits often survive because they are able to obtain information, logistics and other forms of support from local populations.
His comments point to one of the central difficulties confronting Nigeria’s security architecture: military force alone may not be sufficient to permanently eliminate violent criminal networks.
While the Federal Government has highlighted military successes, recent developments in the North-West have demonstrated that serious security challenges remain.
In August, concerns over killings and attacks in Sokoto State generated renewed pressure on the Defence Ministry. The Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, called on Musa to take decisive action against the violence or resign.
The pressure came after reports of attacks and insecurity in parts of Sokoto, prompting former governor and serving Senator Aminu Tambuwal, alongside other political leaders from the state, to meet with the Defence Minister and seek increased security intervention.
The situation subsequently changed somewhat after the military intensified operations against armed groups in the state.
MURIC later withdrew its ultimatum after reporting sustained military operations against bandits in Sokoto, including operations carried out on August 26 and 28.
The episode nevertheless illustrates the complexity of measuring Nigeria’s security progress.
The Federal Government has continued to argue that security conditions are improving.
In a recent engagement with Nigerians living in Angola, Musa said the government was strengthening national security and implementing measures aimed at guaranteeing a safer Nigeria. He also stressed the administration’s commitment to neutralising security threats across the country.
The government has also intensified regional security cooperation, particularly with neighbouring countries whose borders can be exploited by terrorist and criminal networks.
During a visit to Benin Republic in August, Musa and his Beninese counterpart agreed to deepen defence cooperation, improve intelligence coordination and strengthen joint responses to cross-border threats.
The strategy is based on the understanding that terrorism and organised crime do not respect national borders and that armed groups can exploit poorly monitored routes to move personnel, weapons and other resources.
Despite the government’s confidence, the claim that terrorists have been defeated should not be interpreted to mean that terrorism has been completely eliminated from Nigeria.
Military operations against terrorist groups continue, while reports of attacks, abductions and killings persist in several parts of the country.
Recent assessments and security reports have continued to identify terrorism, kidnapping and violent crime as significant risks in several Nigerian states. A June 2026 United States travel advisory, for instance, continued to warn of terrorism, kidnapping and crime and advised against travel to a number of Nigerian states because of security concerns.
This means that the question for Nigerians is increasingly not whether the military has recorded victories, but whether those victories are translating into sustainable security at the community level.
For residents of affected communities, the real measure of success is whether they can travel safely, return to their farms, send their children to school, conduct business and sleep without fear of attack or abduction.
Musa has also repeatedly stressed that security cannot be left entirely to the military.
He has called for stronger cooperation between security agencies, local governments, traditional institutions, religious organisations, communities and the private sector.
In August, he advocated greater involvement of local communities in Nigeria’s security architecture, arguing that grassroots participation could strengthen intelligence gathering and help security agencies respond more effectively to emerging threats.
This approach is increasingly important because many attacks occur in remote communities where security agencies may have limited access and where residents often become the first source of information about the movement of armed groups.
Community cooperation can therefore help security agencies detect threats before they develop into full-scale attacks.
The Defence Minister’s declaration that terrorists have been defeated could ultimately prove to be an important description of a changing phase of Nigeria’s counterterrorism campaign rather than an indication that the threat has vanished.
Nigeria’s security forces have clearly recorded operational successes. Terrorist camps have been targeted, fighters have been killed or arrested, weapons have been recovered and attacks have been disrupted.
But terrorist organisations rarely disappear immediately after suffering battlefield losses. They can fragment, change tactics, recruit new members, exploit local grievances and move into areas where government presence is weaker.
That requires more than weapons and air strikes. It requires effective intelligence, functioning policing, secure borders, justice for victims, rehabilitation and reintegration where appropriate, economic opportunities for vulnerable communities, and a sustained government presence in areas previously abandoned to criminal groups.
For the Tinubu administration, the coming months will provide an important test of whether the security gains being highlighted by the government can be sustained.
Musa has said the Federal Government remains committed to strengthening the country’s security architecture.
But Nigerians will ultimately judge the government’s success not by the number of operations announced or terrorists reportedly neutralised, but by the extent to which insecurity is removed from their daily lives.
If communities can return permanently to their farms, schools can operate without fear, highways can be travelled safely and kidnappings and terrorist attacks become exceptional rather than routine, then the government’s claim of meaningful victory will have tangible evidence behind it.
Until then, the declaration that terrorists have been defeated will remain a claim to be tested against events on the ground.
For now, the evidence points to a more complicated picture: Nigeria’s security forces have achieved important gains against terrorist groups, but the broader insecurity challenge has not disappeared.
The battle may be changing, but it is not yet over.
