The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd), has called on Nigerians to deny bandits, kidnappers and terrorists any form of safe haven, stressing that public cooperation remains critical to ending insecurity in the country.
He warned that such groups thrive when communities provide them shelter, food or silence, either knowingly or unknowingly.
Speaking at the seventh Our Nigeria News Award ceremony in Abuja on Saturday, Musa urged citizens to report suspicious activities promptly.
He said, “This is a modern kind of warfare. Asymmetric warfare is not easy; it is not like conventional warfare, where you are fighting another country. In asymmetric warfare, the enemy is within, and that is why it is the most dangerous.
“You cannot see it on a person’s face; it could be someone you think is your friend. You turn your back, and he shoots you from behind. That is why it is important that people do not give criminals any safe haven. If you see anyone committing a crime —whether a bandit, kidnapper, terrorist or insurgent — please report it as quickly as possible, and action will be taken.”
The minister thanked Nigerians for their support and perseverance, appealing to them not to get tired or give up on the country.
He said the Federal Government, under President Bola Tinubu, was doing everything possible to restore peace, including strengthening international partnerships.
Musa disclosed that Nigeria recently signed security-related agreements in Turkey aimed at improving peace and stability.
“We are getting there; it’s improving by the day. We all need to put our hands together to make sure it works. It is a whole-of-society approach to peace, and we are heading in the right direction.
“I want to thank all Nigerians for their support and for not giving up on their country. I appeal to them not to get tired, but to continue supporting the government. The President is doing everything possible to ensure peace. We recently returned from Turkey, where we signed some agreements aimed at improving security and peace in Nigeria”.
Earlier, the publisher of Our Nigeria News Magazine, Abubakar Sani, said the awards were established to recognise integrity, credibility and outstanding contributions to national development.
Sani said the credibility of the awards was reflected in the presence of awardees and dignitaries who travelled from countries such as South Africa and Liberia to attend the event.
According to him, the awards were not given with any financial conditions attached and were meant to encourage recipients to do more in their respective fields.
He added that the organisers hoped to expand the awards in the future, possibly including cash donations to increase their impact.
The event featured recognition of individuals across different sectors for their contributions to society.
Nigeria has continued to battle insecurity driven by banditry, terrorism, kidnapping and insurgency, particularly in the North-East, North-West and parts of the North-Central regions.
The security challenge has been compounded by the use of asymmetric warfare, where criminal elements operate within civilian populations, making detection and response more difficult for security agencies.
