Insecurity is now business, many Nigerians make money from it – CDS

Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has acknowledged the military’s struggles in ending insecurity in Nigeria, citing its transformation into a lucrative enterprise for many individuals.

The Boko Haram conflict, initially driven by ideology, has transformed into an economic machine fueled by civilian logistics support and substantial financial gains from illegal activities like kidnappings. This, coupled with funding from sponsors, hinders progress in eradication efforts.

Musa made this remark during his appearance on Channels Television on Tuesday morning.

Addressing questions about military progress in the fight against insecurity, he stated, “We are making progress. It will be slow because we are dealing with people who benefit immensely from what they are doing.

“When the Boko Haram incident started, it was ideological, but now that we’ve defeated them, we’ve pushed them down so much, it is now economic.

We have a great number of Nigerians who are patronising these individuals because they make so much money. You can see the money they make from kidnappings, abductions, and all this stuff.”

The Chief of Defence Staff emphasised the need for Nigerians to take ownership of the challenges and refrain from providing logistical support to criminals. He also mentioned the military’s utilisation of technology to combat insecurity across the country.