CDS Musa: ill-trained soldiers more dangerous than bandits
By: Zagazola Makama
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, says the Nigerian Armed Forces adopt a painstaking approach in recruitment and training to avoid deploying ill-trained personnel, describing them as “more dangerous than bandits.”
Musa, who featured on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, said the Armed Forces remain focused on professionalism, discipline and respect for human rights despite mounting security challenges.
According to him, the military is committed to thorough recruitment, ensuring that personnel undergo rigorous initial and further training before deployment, to avoid incidents such as accidental discharges.
“For us in the Armed Forces, there is nothing like accidental discharge. You must have taken the ammo, loaded the magazine, opened the safety cap, cocked the weapon and pulled the trigger. So at what instance was it an accident? For us it is a no-no,” he said.
The CDS emphasised that soldiers are trained to view their rifles as an extension of their lives, saying “every military man knows the importance of his rifle. In fact, to us, we call them our wives, because that is your life.”
He recalled that during early training, cadets were taught never to abandon their equipment, stressing that losing one’s rifle was “the worst offence a soldier can commit.”
On the state of equipment and manpower, Musa said President Bola Tinubu’s pledge to strengthen the military was being fulfilled, with more troops deployed and new platforms arriving for the Army, Navy and Air Force.
He confirmed that additional helicopters and drones had been inducted into service, while the Super Tucano fighter jets earlier procured from the United States were being progressively fitted with full combat complements.
“Some of the Super Tucanos almost became a challenge because the manufacturers didn’t give us the full complement of the equipment at once. But those grey areas have been ironed out and more ammunitions are being released,” he explained.
Musa, however, warned that dependence on foreign suppliers for weapons remained a strategic vulnerability.
“As long as you are depending on somebody to provide weapons for you, you are going to remain a beggar. We must get our own,” he said.
Reacting to a recent report indicating that Nigeria recorded more deaths from bandits and insurgents in the first half of 2025 than in the whole of 2024 – 2,266 deaths compared to 1,083 – the CDS attributed the figures partly to the enemy’s tactics of hiding among civilians.
He said the military often aborted planned strikes to avoid collateral damage, which sometimes allowed insurgents and bandits to escape.
“We are professional armed forces. We obey the law. These criminals commit crimes and hide within civilian populations. If you strike, you become the enemy of the people. That is why we are very careful,” he said.
The CDS stressed, however, that civilians aiding terrorists would be treated as legitimate targets.
On infiltration within the military, Musa admitted that bad elements occasionally emerged, especially among personnel recruited from other services such as the police, but insisted the Armed Forces maintained zero tolerance for indiscipline.
He said court-martial mechanisms were active across all theatres of operation, and that many ex-military personnel were serving jail terms for offences ranging from collusion with bandits to misconduct.
“We do not hide. Anyone who commits an offence faces trial. That is why our discipline level is still high,” he stated.
Musa maintained that the Armed Forces remained committed to protecting Nigerians, upholding discipline within its ranks, and ensuring accountability in its operations.
