General Christopher Musa says no country is completely secure, noting that terrorist attacks in Nigeria have reduced compared to previous years.
The minister spoke during an interview on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Friday.
According to him, insecurity remains a global challenge, but Nigeria is confronting the problem directly.
“There is no country that has 100 percent security. We always have issues,” he said.
“The most unfortunate thing is that measures that were supposed to have been taken for a long time had not. We are addressing these issues head-on.”
Musa said terrorism is no longer as widespread as it once was, although kidnapping has emerged as a major concern.
“Terrorist attacks in the past, the way they used to be, are not as rampant as they used to be,” he said.
“Now we are having issues of kidnapping more than terrorism.”
MORAL DECAY RESPONSIBLE FOR KIDNAPPING
The former Army chief attributed the rise in kidnapping partly to a breakdown in societal values and the pursuit of wealth at all costs.
“The failure of family values, failure of law and order — people think when they make money, because society has become very materialistic, that the way and manner they make money does not matter as long as society applauds them,” he said.
“Those are the ills that we have to fight.”
Musa described insecurity as a national challenge that requires collective action from citizens and government.
“This challenge is a Nigerian challenge and all Nigerians must put ourselves together to fight it,” he said.
He added that President Bola Tinubu remains committed to restoring peace across the country.
“The president is doing so much. He is committed to ensuring that there is peace. The armed forces and other security agencies are doing their best,” he said.
The minister urged Nigerians not to lose hope, saying every nation experiences difficult periods.
“We are appealing to all Nigerians, firstly, not to get discouraged,” he said.
“Every country goes through such situations. Like we call it, it’s the desert of life — the ups and downs of life.”
“Nobody ever thought 20 years ago that Nigeria was going to go through this. Now we are facing it. It’s our turn to face it, and I think it’s good that we stand together, hand in hand, and defeat these enemies of the state.”
