Senate Confirms Gen. Musa as Defence Minister, Unveils First Steps to Tackle Insecurity
The Senate on Wednesday confirmed former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, as Minister of Defence after an intense five-hour screening session.
PRNigeria had reported that President Bola Tinubu submitted his name for appointment on Tuesday.
General Musa’s confirmation comes at a time when Nigeria faces a surge in mass abductions, especially in schools across the northern region. One of the latest cases is the kidnapping of 25 students in Maga, Kebbi State, amid allegations that troops stationed in the area withdrew shortly before the attackers stormed the school.
Addressing lawmakers during the screening, Gen. Musa said probing the reported troop withdrawal would be one of his first assignments as Defence Minister, stressing that the military “is not known for cowardice.”
Read Also:
“We are going to investigate fully,” he declared. “The Armed Forces have a way, and from the defence headquarters, we will continue with oversight to ensure full accountability for their activities.”
The former CDS, dressed in a brown kaftan and hula cap, also vowed to intensify joint operations with security agencies and MDAs, saying: “We are going to go after them fully, working together with all security agencies. This menace must stop.”
While acknowledging the rising wave of school kidnappings, Gen. Musa described ransom payments as a key driver of the kidnapping economy. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigerians paid N2.23 trillion as ransom between May 2023 and April 2024.
“We must stop ransom payments,” he said firmly. “And in situations where such payments happen, we must be able to track the money. Technology gives us that advantage.”
With his confirmation by the Senate, Musa is expected to immediately confront the escalating insecurity and implement reforms he promised beginning with investigations, improved coordination, and technology-driven operations to dismantle kidnap-for-ransom networks.
By PRNigeria
