The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has unveiled a major security initiative aimed at addressing the growing security threats facing Nigeria. As part of the new strategy, General Musa announced that over 800 specially trained Special Forces operatives will be deployed to high-risk zones across the country.
Speaking at the 2025 Defence Training Conference held in Abuja, General Musa highlighted that this deployment is a bold and coordinated step to confront the complex and evolving security challenges in Nigeria. The conference, themed “Performance Oriented Training and Trends in the Contemporary Operating Environment,” brought together top military officers and defence stakeholders to discuss new approaches to national security.
General Musa explained that the 800 operatives, who have undergone intensive training, are set to graduate next week and will be deployed as a single cohesive unit. “We have realised that deploying these forces in bits creates weaknesses. This team will be deployed together, trained to understand one another, and fight as one,” he stated.
The Chief of Defence Staff emphasized that the training covered various domains, including counter-insurgency, anti-terrorism, cyber warfare, intelligence operations, and hybrid threats. The goal, he said, is to ensure that the troops are fully prepared to deal with the realities of modern warfare and asymmetric threats.
He also stressed the importance of adopting a technology-driven and mission-oriented military culture to enhance operational effectiveness. “The military must adapt to our current realities. We are dealing with unconventional enemies who do not abide by the rules of war,” Musa said.
Additionally, General Musa called for increased collaboration among Nigeria’s various security and intelligence agencies, noting that no single institution can tackle the nation’s multi-dimensional security challenges alone. “No single service or agency can confront these challenges alone. We need strong collaboration across all services,” he added.
Warning about the radical ideologies fueling terrorism, he noted, “The enemy we are facing has nothing to lose. He lives, he dies — his guilt dies with him. That’s why we must prepare our troops to understand the nature of the enemy and adapt to dynamic operational environments.”
Also present at the conference was the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who reinforced the need for strategic training that aligns with Nigeria’s broader national security goals. He remarked that today’s threats have evolved beyond traditional warfare and require a new mindset and response framework.
“We live in an era where threats are no longer confined to traditional state actors. Asymmetric threats and hybrid warfare require more than tactical responses,” Badaru said. He advocated for advanced training techniques, including simulation-based drills that reflect real-life combat situations and unpredictable conflict environments.
“It’s no longer enough to train for yesterday’s battles. The Armed Forces must train for the uncertainties of tomorrow and beyond,” the Minister emphasized, underlining the need for forward-thinking defence strategies.
Minister Badaru further stressed the importance of both inter-agency and international cooperation. He cited joint military exercises such as African Lion, Obangame Express, and the ECOWAS Standby Force drills as vital opportunities for improving coordination and shared learning.
Earlier in the event, the Chief of Defence Training, Rear Admiral Ibrahim Shettima, spoke on the objectives of the conference. He stated that the gathering aimed to foster synergy among the services, improve the professionalism of the Armed Forces, and ensure readiness in responding to current and emerging threats facing Nigeria and the wider region.