Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd), has described quality education, active citizenship, and stronger collaboration between communities and security agencies as critical to defeating banditry, terrorism, and other security threats confronting Nigeria.
The minister spoke during the commissioning of Kaduna Christian Academy, a faith-based institution donated to the Christian community in Kaduna by the director-general of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, and his associates.
The event comes barely a year after a similar school was donated to the Muslim community in Danbushiya, Chikun Local Government Area, in what organizers said reflects a deliberate effort to promote inclusiveness, education, and peaceful coexistence across the state.
Kano first
General. Musa further explained that the academy is a strategic non-kinetic intervention aimed at addressing the root causes of insecurity. He stressed that national security extends beyond military operations and intelligence gathering.
“When we speak of national defence, the instinct is to focus on boots on the ground, air power, or intelligence gathering,” he said. “However, true and lasting security is anchored in one critical element: the defeat of ignorance and the conquest of hopelessness. This school is a weapon of mass instruction in the right hands.”
The Defence Minister commended the DSS for expanding its mandate beyond conventional security operations through community-focused development initiatives. He argued that an educated population forms a stronger defence against extremism, criminality, and social instability.
“Insecurity thrives where opportunities are limited,” Musa said. “Investment in education is one of the most effective strategies for preventing the recruitment of young people into criminal and terrorist networks.”
He also urged citizens to support security agencies with credible and timely intelligence, warning that bandits and terrorists often rely on local collaborators for information and logistics.
“Security agencies alone cannot defeat these criminal elements. If we keep quiet, they will continue to destroy us. But if we speak out, they will not have any space to survive,” he stated.
Musa lauded Governor Uba Sani for promoting inclusion, development, and peaceful coexistence in Kaduna, noting that collaboration between federal and state authorities, alongside local communities, had yielded measurable progress in security and governance. He also praised the resilience of the people of Southern Kaduna and urged them to resist divisive tendencies that could undermine peace and unity.