Beyond the Rhetoric: Interrogating Gen. Musa’s Claim That Terrorists and Bandits Are ‘Significantly Degraded’
A new chapter may be unfolding in Nigeria’s fight against terrorism and banditry as Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa’s declaration of victory signals growing confidence, renewed hope, and a potentially decisive turning point in the nation’s security efforts, writes Linus Aleke.
The declaration by the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd), that Nigeria has achieved victory over terrorists and bandits deserves to be examined not merely as a political statement, but against the operational realities and measurable gains recorded by the Nigerian security forces.
Interestingly, this is not the first time the Federal Government has declared victory over the rampaging and bloodthirsty violent extremists operating in the country.
In December 2015, the late President Muhammadu Buhari declared that Boko Haram had been “technically defeated”, following major territorial gains by Nigerian forces against the insurgents. In an interview with the BBC on 24 December 2015, Buhari said technically, the Nigerian military had won the war against Boko Haram, explaining that the insurgents could no longer mount conventional attacks against security forces or population centres and had been restricted largely to the use of improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
The declaration followed a major military campaign that had recovered territories previously held by the insurgents. Contemporary reports therefore presented Buhari’s assessment as a claim of technical victory rather than an assertion that every Boko Haram fighter or attack had ceased.
Still in December 2015, the then Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, similarly declared that the Federal Government had “largely won” the war against Boko Haram. Speaking after leading a team of 33 local and international journalists to areas at the centre of the insurgency in Borno State, including Maiduguri, Konduga, Kaoure and Bama, Mohammed said: “Today, I can report that the war against Boko Haram is largely won.”
He explained that he could make the declaration based on what he had personally witnessed during the tour, adding that the entire 70-plus-kilometre stretch from Maiduguri to Bama and onwards to Banki was in the hands of Nigerian troops. He further stated that the terrorists had been so degraded that they could no longer hold territory or carry out spectacular attacks.
Four years later, on 21 October 2019, Mohammed reaffirmed the position during a working visit to the corporate headquarters of a newspaper house in Lagos. Asked about his earlier assessment of the insurgency, he stood by it unequivocally, saying: “I stand by what I said that Boko Haram is technically defeated.”
Mohammed explained, however, that Nigeria was then confronting a broader form of global terrorism involving groups and networks such as ISIS, ISWAP and Al-Qaeda.
Fast-forward to Thursday, September 3, 2026, and barely 11 years after the previous administration declared technical victory over violent extremists, Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd.), reiterated the Federal Government’s claim of victory in the ongoing fight against insurgency and other forms of violent extremism.
Musa said attacks by terrorists and extremist groups were no longer as rampant or brazen as they had been in the past. Speaking during an interview on a national television programme, monitored by THISDAY, he observed that terrorist attacks had drastically reduced, giving way largely to kidnappings.
Asked whether Nigeria had defeated terrorists or merely displaced them, Musa said: “Frankly speaking, we have defeated terrorists because now, like I said, the attacks are not as rampant and it is now kidnapping.”
He said security had improved under President Bola Tinubu, adding that reports of terrorist attacks were no longer as frequent as they once were.
According to him, “I can tell you there is improved security. May be if you noticed, you don’t hear so much of Boko Haram attacks, ISWAP attacks and all these things here and there, maybe one-off.”
Musa argued that the security situation was following a downward trajectory from criminality to kidnapping, terrorism and insurgency, noting that once security forces successfully hit such groups, they were forced down the scale of operations. He added that kidnappings had become an easier means for criminals to raise funds.
The Minister also stressed that troops were now entering terrorists’ enclaves and recovering many abducted persons.
Musa’s position appears to be supported, at least in part, by recent operational figures released by the Defence Headquarters in August 2026. Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, reported that Nigerian troops had killed more than 324 terrorists and criminals and apprehended 373 others in August, 2026 alone.
Onoja said the August figures reflected a marked improvement in operational effectiveness, driven by intensified kinetic and non-kinetic operations, enhanced intelligence, inter-agency cooperation and increased pressure on criminal and terrorist networks.
More significantly, surrendered terrorists rose from 11 in June to 57 in July and 201 in August, suggesting increasing pressure on hostile elements and a possible willingness among some fighters to abandon terrorism. Civilian rescues also increased substantially in August, while arms and ammunition recoveries rebounded.
These figures provide important context for Musa’s declaration. Yet acknowledging these gains does not require ignoring the continuing threat.
The 2026 Global Terrorism Index reported that terrorism-related deaths in Nigeria increased from 513 in 2024 to 750 in 2025, representing a 46 per cent rise. Nigeria consequently ranked fourth globally in terrorism-related deaths. These figures suggest that victory should be understood as an ongoing process rather than the complete disappearance of every violent group.
Indeed, this distinction may strengthen rather than weaken Musa’s position. A military can achieve strategic superiority while still confronting residual insurgent cells, criminal gangs and isolated attacks. The critical question is whether these groups are becoming increasingly incapable of challenging the authority of the state.
Security experts, however, remain divided.
