Military Moves to Choke Logistics, Financial Lifelines Sustaining Asymmetric Warfare
Linus Aleke in Abuja
The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (rtd.), has revealed that a major component of the military’s updated strategy is focused on choking the logistical and financial lifelines sustaining asymmetric warfare in the country.
The minister also asserted that the days of brazen terrorist attacks on vulnerable communities and military formations are over, as the Armed Forces of Nigeria, working with partner intelligence agencies, have disrupted the operational momentum of major terrorist networks, including Boko Haram and ISWAP.
He said the conflict has consequently shifted from a structured insurgency towards desperate, isolated criminal cells.
In a statement by minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Leah Katung-Babatunde, the minister cautioned villagers against spying on troop movements or supplying logistics to terrorist fighters, warning that such activities were prolonging the insurgency and its unintended consequences.
He said the military high command had confirmed that aggressive offensive operations conducted directly within insurgent enclaves had significantly degraded the adversary’s capacity to launch large-scale and brazen attacks on communities.
“We don’t have those brazen attacks that used to be,” Musa stated. “Before now, Boko Haram would go to places, attack areas and go. You don’t hear of that anymore. The trajectory has moved from insurgency back downwards towards terrorism, abductions and kidnapping because that is the easiest way for desperate networks to try and raise money.”
The minister of defence also highlighted that the recent uptick in security incidents followed a historical and consistent pattern observed ahead of major political cycles.
With political campaigns for the upcoming elections scheduled to commence in January, Musa questioned whether the recent spikes in insecurity were being deliberately weaponised by political actors to stir negative sentiments against the government’s performance.
He, however, reassured the public that security forces were actively working to contain the incidents, adding that political movements and campaigns across the country would remain unhindered and fully secured.
Musa further disclosed that working in tandem with the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), security forces had successfully tracked and intercepted illicit funding networks using proxy accounts, social media crowdfunding and cryptocurrency.
“Following a high-level summit with the United States State Department, Nigeria is now deploying advanced international counter-funding tools to isolate foreign influences like ISIS from local affiliates,” he said.
Addressing public scepticism over the continued survival of terrorist cells, Musa emphasised that the military was also confronting the deep-seated ideological radicalisation driving asymmetric warfare.
He said increased military pressure was prompting mass surrenders, as low-level fighters realised they had been deceived, adding that tactical forces had, through daily operations, successfully rescued more than 700 abducted persons from captivity and sustain the current operational momentum.
The minister said President Bola Tinubu has directed an upward review of the salaries and pensions of serving troops and military veterans.
“General Musa, a military pensioner himself, addressed previous concerns over delays in veterans’ pension payments, confirming that presidential orders had secured the next harmonised disbursements for the end of September 2026,” the statement added.
In a stern warning to local informants and logisticians, Musa said individuals supplying fuel, food and water to terrorist cells were directly prolonging the conflict and its unintended consequences.
The minister also confirmed that the Department of State Services (DSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) were finalising an extensive investigation into a foiled plot by individuals allegedly seeking to disrupt the nation’s democracy out of nostalgia for past military regimes.
“In response to loopholes exposed by a colonel who misled younger officers into the plot, the military has institutionalised strict vetting protocols evaluating the background, mental capacity and allegiance of all new recruits and personnel assigned to the Presidency,” the statement said.
The minister urged Nigerians to emulate the civic responsibility practised in developed nations by using existing security frameworks to report suspicious activities promptly.
On the issue of porous borders, Musa said the Ministry of Interior and the Nigeria Immigration Service had activated specialised control hubs equipped with real-time cameras and supported by continuous drone reconnaissance to tackle illegal activities along the volatile 1,500-kilometre border shared with Niger.
“To back this technology with physical manpower, the military has expanded its footprint to 12 active divisions, adding four new divisions for localised monitoring. This expansion is supported by aggressive personnel recruitment across the Nigeria Police Force and Civil Defence, alongside the creation of a new Homeland Adviser role to centralise domestic intelligence,” the minister concluded.