Insecurity: Every Nigerian Should Learn Combat Skills For Self-Defence – CDS Musa

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, has urged Nigerians to acquire combat skills as part of basic survival training. Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, he likened self-defence skills to driving and swimming, describing them as essential tools for survival in an increasingly dangerous world.

General Musa stressed that self-defence training should be introduced into the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme to equip young graduates with unarmed combat skills. He lamented that the NYSC orientation period has been reduced to just three weeks, arguing that the programme should instead focus on building security awareness and practical survival skills such as swimming, driving and unarmed combat.

“These are things we should never take for granted because they prepare you for the future,” he said. “The world we are in now is dangerous. We have individuals who don’t mean people well. They kill for whatever reason.”

The defence chief called on citizens to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities, stressing that security should not be left to the military alone.

On the financing of terrorism, General Musa disclosed that terrorists operating in Nigeria are increasingly relying on gold to fund their activities. He explained that terror financiers use complex networks, often with international ties, making it difficult to track and prosecute them swiftly. “The process is on,” he said, adding that legal and cross-border hurdles have slowed progress.

He also admitted that poor infrastructure hampers military response to attacks, noting that bad roads, lack of mobile networks, and the threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the North-East delay swift deployment. “A lot of people think the military are magicians; we are not. We are humans just like anybody,” he said.

General Musa gave an update on the situation in the Southeast, linking improved security in the region to the November 2024 arrest of pro-Biafran agitator Simon Ekpa in Finland. He confirmed that Ekpa remains on trial abroad while Nigerian forces continue to target his associates in Imo, Enugu, Anambra, Ebonyi and Abia states.

He hailed the recent arrest of Ansaru terrorist commanders as a major breakthrough, attributing the success to improved synergy among the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force. According to him, this collaboration has been critical to recent military gains.

To strengthen continental cooperation, General Musa announced that Nigeria will host an African Chiefs of Defence Staff conference starting Monday, aimed at enhancing joint efforts against terrorism across the continent.