Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Musa, has rated the security performance of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration between 65 and 70 per cent, insisting that the government has made significant progress in reducing terrorism and restoring stability across many parts of the country despite ongoing security challenges.
Musa made the assessment during an interview on ARISE News on Friday as part of activities marking the third anniversary of the Tinubu administration.
According to the minister, the level of terrorism witnessed across Nigeria has reduced considerably compared to previous years, although isolated cases of kidnappings and violent attacks still persist in some parts of the country.
When asked to score the administration’s performance in the area of security, Musa responded confidently that the government deserved between 65 and 70 per cent.
“Yes, I will give ourselves 65 to 70 per cent,” he said. “No nation is entirely free from crime and criminality. What is important is the level of progress made, and I can tell you that the scale of terrorism across the country has drastically reduced.”
The minister explained that while terrorism had not been completely eliminated, many of the organised insurgent operations previously threatening large territories had been weakened through sustained military offensives and improved intelligence gathering.
According to him, what Nigeria currently experiences are largely isolated acts of terror and criminality rather than the widespread insurgency that once destabilised many parts of the North-East and other regions.
Musa, however, stirred debate when he described kidnapping as more of a societal and moral problem than purely a security issue.
He argued that the breakdown of family values and social structures had contributed significantly to the increasing involvement of young people and even family members in kidnapping and other violent crimes.
“We now see fathers kidnapping children, children kidnapping fellow children, and brothers kidnapping sisters,” he said. “It shows that something is fundamentally wrong within the family system and society. We need to look inward and rebuild our values.”
His remarks came at a time when Nigeria is grappling with a fresh wave of school abductions and attacks on educational institutions across several states.
Between May 13 and May 15, 2026, at least 82 pupils were abducted during separate attacks in Borno and Oyo states, sparking renewed national outrage over insecurity and the safety of schools.
In Borno State, armed groups attacked schools in Askira Uba and Chibok local government areas, abducting 42 pupils over two days.
The incidents reignited painful memories of the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls abduction that drew international attention to insecurity in the region.
In Oyo State, another 40 pupils were kidnapped during coordinated attacks on Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, Community Grammar School, and L.A. Primary School, Esiele, all located in Oriire Local Government Area.
The attack in Oyo turned particularly tragic after a mathematics teacher, Michael Oyedokun, was reportedly beheaded by the attackers.
A motorcyclist was also killed during the operation, while a security operative died after encountering improvised explosive devices allegedly planted by the abductors during rescue efforts.
Following the attacks, the Defence Headquarters attributed the Oyo abduction to members of the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), a Boko Haram faction displaced from other regions due to ongoing military offensives.
The Borno State Government subsequently ordered the temporary closure and relocation of Government Day Secondary School, Mussa, in Askira/Uba Local Government Area as part of emergency safety measures.
Human rights organisation Amnesty International also raised concerns over the worsening insecurity, revealing that at least 1,100 persons were abducted across Nigeria between January and April 2026 alone.
The organisation described the trend as evidence of continuing failures in protecting vulnerable communities and schools from armed groups and criminal gangs.
The recent incidents are part of a broader pattern of mass kidnappings recorded in recent months.
In April 2026, gunmen attacked an orphanage and school facility in the Zariagi area of Lokoja, Kogi State, abducting 23 pupils and the wife of a school proprietor.
The Nigerian Army later announced that troops under Operation Tiger Paw II rescued nine of the remaining captives during coordinated operations carried out on May 6.
Similarly, in November 2025, Nigeria witnessed another resurgence of large-scale abductions after at least 145 persons were kidnapped within four days across Kebbi, Niger, and Zamfara states.
Among the incidents was an attack on a government secondary school in Maga, Kebbi State, where bandits killed the vice principal and abducted 25 schoolgirls from their hostel.
Despite these troubling developments, Musa maintained that the security agencies were recording operational successes and gaining momentum against terrorist and criminal networks.
The minister pointed to a recent covert military operation that led to the elimination of a deputy ISIS commander as evidence of improved intelligence capabilities and tactical efficiency.
According to him, the operation involved months of surveillance, tracking, and strategic planning before security forces successfully neutralised the target.
“The recent killing of that deputy ISIS commander was not accidental,” Musa said. “It was a painstaking operation that started last year. We tracked them carefully, confirmed our target, and struck successfully.”
He also commended Nigerians for increasingly cooperating with security agencies, saying public support and intelligence sharing had significantly improved military operations.
“The level of support we are receiving from Nigerians today is far better than before,” he noted. “People are giving information, communities are cooperating, and that is helping us make more progress.”
Musa further disclosed that Nigeria’s counter-terrorism efforts were being strengthened through international collaborations with countries such as the United States, Britain, France, Brazil, and Turkey.
According to him, these countries are supporting Nigeria through intelligence sharing, specialised training, military platforms, and tactical support.
“We are working with the Americans, the British, the French, and others because everyone wants Nigeria to succeed,” he said. “They are providing platforms and expertise that help strengthen our operations.”
The minister warned that terrorism and asymmetric warfare become much harder to defeat once they become deeply entrenched within society.
Drawing lessons from Turkey’s decades-long struggle against insurgency and terrorism, Musa cautioned that Nigeria must continue acting decisively to prevent extremist violence from becoming institutionalised.
“Do not allow terrorism to fully take root because it becomes extremely difficult to reverse,” he said. “Look at Turkey. It took them about 40 years to overcome their situation, and they are only now recovering fully.”
He added that Nigeria was learning from countries with long-term experience in combating insurgency and was investing heavily in special forces training, intelligence operations, and modern security technology.
According to Musa, the Tinubu administration remains committed to restoring peace, improving national security, and ensuring that citizens can live, work, and pursue their daily activities without fear.
