Permeable Borders, Poverty Mitigating Against Insecurity Fight– CDS

The Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has lamented that extreme poverty as well as the porous state of the country's border has affected the fight against terrorism and crime related issues in the country.

He said the incidents of banditry, kidnapping and other related crimes would persist with the high rate of hungry and spongy border.

He spoke as the Guest Speaker at the Institute of Development Research and Training, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Kaduna State.

According to him, “Nigeria shares 1,600 km of total land border with the Republic of Niger, 1,975 km with the Republic of Cameroon, and a total of 85 km with Chad Republic. Nigeria also shares a total distance of 809 km with Benin, most of which are in the North.

"The porous nature of these borders encourages the movement of criminal elements, including Boko Haram terrorists, Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP), bandits, kidnappers, armed militias, and violent herdsmen.

"Many citizens in the North share cultural and tribal ties with border countries, making it challenging to enforce restrictions on unauthorised cross-border movements."

General Musa also identified illiteracy, ethno-religious factors, hunger, and lack of social infrastructure as key contributors to the problem. 

He said those issues had culminated in the emergence of terrorism, armed banditry, and violent militias, kidnappings, and herders-farmers clashes, among other security threats in Northern Nigeria.

The CDS noted that the security challenges in the northern part of the country are influenced by both external and internal factors such as the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, political instability, and socio-economic factors such as poverty and inequality.

He added: “Nigeria is of great socio-political importance to Africa and the world at large. Thus, the contemporary security situation in the country and the North is influenced by both external and internal factors. 

"This is largely because Nigeria is a major actor in the sub-region. These, among several other parameters, are testaments to the importance of Nigeria in the continent and across the world.”