Sokoto, Nigeria — Nigeria’s Defence Minister, General Christopher Musa, has told security forces they face being treated as “bandits” themselves if they hesitate to shoot armed criminals.
Speaking on Wednesday in the northwestern state of Sokoto, Gen Musa ordered troops deployed to the frontlines to neutralise terrorists and bandits immediately, rather than waiting for clearance from their superiors.
“Once you are deployed, do not wait for any order from anybody to shoot any bandit or any terrorist,” Gen Musa declared. “Anybody who refuses to shoot or kill any bandit or terrorist in the name of waiting for an order, we will treat you like a bandit.”
The retired general made the aggressive remarks while commissioning a massive haul of new military hardware, including armoured personnel carriers, night-vision goggles, and thermal tracking devices.
The security assets, valued at ₦27.1bn (£13.8m), were purchased by the Sokoto State Government to help combat a wave of mass kidnappings and raids that have plagued the region.
Heavy price tag, high expectations
Northwestern Nigeria has been locked in a brutal security crisis driven by heavily armed criminal gangs—locally known as bandits—who raid villages, steal cattle, and kidnap civilians for ransom.
While praising Sokoto Governor Ahmed Aliyu for providing the equipment, Gen Musa warned commanders that the expensive state-funded assets must be strictly maintained.
“This equipment costs billions of naira,” the minister said. “We don’t want to hand them over and then you throw them away or mishandle them.”
He also cautioned troops to maintain professionalism, warning against extortion or the harassment of the very communities they are deployed to protect.
Target on informants
Sokoto State has spent more than ₦36bn on security interventions recently, including establishing a local civilian vanguard known as the Community Guard Corps.
Governor Aliyu revealed that his administration is now moving to choke off the intelligence networks that allow these gangs to evade the military.
A new bill has been sent to the State House of Assembly to introduce much harsher penalties for local informants who feed information to the bandits.
“The bill is currently before the State House of Assembly and once it is passed, we will sign it without any further delay,” Governor Aliyu said, while appealing to residents to ensure they only provide credible intelligence to the formal security forces.
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