Learn combat skills for self-defence — CDS

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, has advised Nigerians to acquire combat skills as part of essential survival training.

Speaking on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television, on Thursday, the defence chief likened martial arts such as Karate, Taekwondo, and Judo to other life-saving abilities like swimming and driving.

He said self-defence should be seen as a basic survival instinct.

“That one should be taken as learning driving, learning how to swim. Whether we have war or not, it is a survival instinct.

“In Europe, swimming is compulsory. Learning and teaching about security is compulsory because you have to understand what security is,” he noted.

Musa also suggested that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) should be strengthened to train graduates in unarmed combat, swimming, and driving, which he described as crucial life skills.

“The NYSC has been watered down to three weeks, but it is supposed to equip young Nigerians with these survival skills,” he added.

He stressed that security is a collective responsibility and urged citizens to be situationally aware to detect suspicious individuals in their surroundings.

On terrorism, the CDS revealed that terror groups in Nigeria increasingly rely on gold to finance their activities, with their networks extending internationally.

He explained that tracking such illicit funding requires complex legal processes, making it difficult to act swiftly.

General Musa also admitted that poor road networks, difficult terrain, and limited communication infrastructure hinder military responses to terror and bandit attacks.

He said these challenges often make Nigerians think the Armed Forces can perform “magic,” when in reality, insurgents exploit their mobility to strike and vanish within minutes.

In the North-East, he added, the presence of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) further slows down troop movements.

Nonetheless, he assured Nigerians that the military remains committed to pursuing insurgents until they are eliminated.

On security in the Southeast, Musa said the arrest of pro-Biafran agitator Simon Ekpa in Finland in November 2024 had improved peace in the region.

He disclosed that Ekpa is still being prosecuted by Finnish authorities and vowed that security forces would track down his lieutenants operating across the Southeast states.

The defence chief also hailed the recent capture of Ansaru terrorist commanders, describing it as a major success achieved through coordinated efforts by the Nigerian Army, Navy, and Air Force.

He said synergy among military formations has enhanced results in the fight against insurgency and disclosed that Nigeria will host an African Chiefs of Defence Staff conference on Monday to strengthen continental cooperation against terrorism.