AS the Senate prepares to screen retired Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, for confirmation as Minister of Defence, a broad consensus has emerged among security analysts, retired generals, and counter-insurgency specialists on the most pressing actions the incoming minister must take to reverse Nigeria’s deepening kidnapping, banditry, and insurgency crisis.
With an average of ten mass abductions recorded weekly and bandit groups now operating like quasi-states in parts of the North-West, experts insist that the first 100 days will define whether Musa’s appointment becomes a turning point or another missed opportunity.
The following five tasks, repeatedly highlighted in closed-door briefings and public commentaries by serving and retired security officers, represent what many regard as non-negotiable priorities for the general if he is confirmed.
Launch a 45-day national anti-kidnapping surge operation
Security analysts are urging Musa to immediately activate integrated special forces strike teams across the worst-hit local government areas in Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, and Niger states, with a clear directive to dismantle at least 50 identified bandit camps and rescue all long-held hostages before the end of February 2026.
Cut the financial lifeline of criminal gangs
Experts want the incoming minister to establish a joint EFCC-CBN-NCC task force within his first 30 days to trace and block ransom flows through mobile money and cryptocurrency, publicly announcing the first wave of seized accounts to deter further payments.
End state-sponsored ransom payments once and for all
A recurring demand from analysts is an immediate National Security Council directive, to be issued on Musa’s first day if confirmed, banning all federal and state agencies from paying ransoms and creating a transparently managed Victims Support Fund to remove the incentive for negotiation.
Restore 24/7 air dominance over bandit forests
Defence specialists insist that Musa must, within 90 days, make all remaining Super Tucano, T-129 ATAK, and AH-1Z Viper platforms fully operational for round-the-clock armed overwatch in the North-West forests, with weekly public updates on sorties and camps neutralised.
Rebuild grassroots intelligence through trusted community structures
Counter-insurgency experts are calling for a rapid rollout of a “Safe Corridor Community Programme” that recruits, trains, and pays 5,000 local vigilantes under direct military supervision in the 500 most affected communities, guaranteeing a four-hour military response to any verified alert—seen as the only sustainable way to starve bandits of local intelligence and support.