We Have More Sophisticated Equipment And Drones Than Terrorists – Defence Minister Replies House Of Reps

The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Abubakar Badaru, has denied the claims by the House of Representatives that terrorists have better weapons than Nigeria.

Speaking on Wednesday during a ministerial press briefing in Abuja, the Minister maintained that Nigeria has superior weapons, drones and manpower.

He submitted that the claim by the lawmakers that terrorists carrying out attacks in the country possess superior weaponry compared to the Nigerian Armed Forces.

“This ministry is a very interesting one because it affects the lives of everyone. Yesterday, the House of Representatives said that terrorists have better weapons than we do. That is absolutely not true. We have much more sophisticated equipment and drones,” he said.

Naijaonpoint reports his statement comes as a direct response to the House of Representatives, which had claimed the criminals had better weapons compared to the country’s military, even as the lawmakers lamented the recent increased attacks from Boko Haram and other insurgents in some parts of the country..

However, Badaru explained that Nigeria is not fighting a conventional war with the terrorists, but rather guerrilla warfare, which requires different tactical approaches.

“This war is not a conventional one; it’s more like guerrilla warfare. They monitor us, they have informants within the communities we are trying to protect, and they strike unexpectedly.

“Our surveillance cannot cover every area at once, but that doesn’t mean they are better armed. We are more advanced in terms of equipment, and that’s why we’ve recorded successes,” he added.

They Don’t Have Drones

The Minister also dismissed suggestions that the terrorists have acquired armed drones, clarifying that what they are using are improvised civilian drones.

“From what we’ve gathered so far, they don’t have armed drones. What we’ve seen are basic, commercial drones modified by tying explosives to them—improvised devices. These are not sophisticated or military-grade drones with strategic targeting capabilities,” Badaru clarified.

Way Forward

The Minister reiterated that the federal government is not resting on its oars in ensuring insecurity is defeated to the barest minimum in Nigeria.

“We are beefing up our intelligence both nationally and internationally. We are also working closely with global partners to trace sources of illicit arms and shut them down. This includes monitoring the use of civilian drones more closely,” he added.