Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, on Wednesday declared that Nigeria must enforce a complete ban on negotiating with terrorists or paying ransoms, insisting such practices only strengthen criminal networks and fuel further attacks.

Gen. Musa made the remarks during his Senate screening, where he also stressed that Nigeria’s security challenges would persist unless the government establishes a unified national database linking all citizens to banking, security, and identity systems.

His screening coincided with fresh moves in both chambers of the National Assembly to tighten anti-terrorism measures, expedite prosecution of offenders, and impose harsher penalties.

‘No Negotiation With Any Criminal’ — Musa

Addressing lawmakers, Musa said governments at all levels must stop engaging with terrorists in any form.

“There is no negotiation with any criminal. When people pay ransoms, it buys terrorists time to regroup, re-arm and plan new attacks. Communities that negotiated still got attacked later,” he said.

He added that Nigeria’s banking infrastructure can digitally trace ransom-related transactions if fully integrated into security operations.

Military Efforts Only 25–30% of the War

Gen. Musa argued that the military cannot win the fight alone, pointing to poverty, illiteracy, weak governance, and inadequate local intelligence as drivers of insecurity.

He criticised prolonged terrorism trials that “drag for years,” saying they demoralise security personnel who risk their lives to make arrests. He recommended special courts, faster trials, and stiffer penalties.

Rising Threats: Maritime Crime, Cultism, Illegal Mining

Musa warned of increasing criminal activities along maritime corridors from Akwa Ibom to Cameroon, noting a resurgence in piracy and coastal kidnappings. He also called for a total ban on illegal mining, describing it as a key source of terrorist financing.

Troops to Leave Checkpoints, Return to the Field

The minister revealed plans to reduce military checkpoints nationwide and redeploy soldiers to forested areas where armed groups operate.

Restoring access to farmlands, he said, is essential to food security:

“A hungry man is an angry man. Protecting farmers means protecting the nation.”

Recruitment and Identity Verification Challenges

Musa disclosed that although over 70,000 citizens apply to join the military annually, many resist deployment to conflict zones. He said a unified national database would help eliminate fraud in recruitment and improve national tracking of criminals.

Data Fragmentation Weakening Security

According to the minister, Nigeria’s siloed data architecture—across immigration, quarantine and other agencies—creates loopholes exploited by terrorists, kidnappers and cybercriminals.

“Something as simple as a unified database for all citizens is urgently needed… Once you commit a crime, it should be easy to track and trace you,” he said.

He stressed that enhanced ICT integration would enable real-time monitoring, digital tracing of ransom payments, and profiling of criminal networks.

House of Reps Pushes for Open, Transparent Terrorism Trials

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives adopted sweeping national security reforms after a three-day special debate, including a resolution calling for open, transparent prosecution of all terrorism-related cases.

Members argued that open trials would enhance accountability but emphasised the need for strong witness protection measures.

Human rights lawyer Evans Ufeli warned that exposing witnesses could endanger them unless identities were masked or voices altered. Another lawyer, Effiong Inibehe, backed open trials, saying victims deserved transparency.

Senate Moves to Impose Death Penalty for Kidnapping

At plenary, the Senate advanced amendments to the 2022 Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act to designate kidnapping and hostage-taking as acts of terrorism, prescribing the death penalty for perpetrators, informants, financiers, or anyone who enables the crime.

Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, sponsor of the amendment, said kidnapping has evolved into a “coordinated, commercialised and militarised” operation.

“This is not a mere crime. It is terrorism in its purest form,” he said.

Senators Adams Oshiomhole and Orji Uzor Kalu backed the proposal, with Oshiomhole rejecting continued deradicalisation programmes and Kalu insisting that informants and sponsors must face the same consequences.

The amended bill was referred to the Committees on Judiciary, National Security and Intelligence, and Interior for further review within two weeks.

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