The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, has said that the military approach to tackling insecurity contributes about 20-25% as he advocated for more non kinetic approach.
The CDS noted that the non-kinetic approach which involves solutions that produce effects without direct use of force, was more appealing to youths and would quicken the mission to solve the menace of insecurity.
He made this known while receiving a delegation from the Green Assembly initiative in Abuja on Monday.
The CDS commended the conclusion of the 2024 National Security and Youth Summit which held in February as part of the defense headquarters-supported programs to engage youths meaningfully.
He said,
“You know, it’s not only the military action. Military action just plays 20, 25%. The non-kinetic aspect plays major role. So we also want to encourage it and encourage others to join up so that we can achieve so much.”’
General Musa explained that the military’s core objectives involved protecting the nation from external threats and lamented that the reverse was becoming the case.
He said,
“This is our country and we want our country to be safe and peaceful and for that to happen, everybody has to contribute to it. In those days we had conventional warfare, where you are fighting another country now we are fighting our own people. Those that have turned bad for whatever reason”
He reminisced about safer times in the nation as he called on stakeholders to ensure a return to those times.
While speaking to journalists the National Coordinator of the Green Assembly Initiative, and convener of the summit Comrade Duke Alamboye, commended planned rehabilitation of youths who had gone astray and contributed to insecurity.
He said,
“Before we can even talk about rehabilitation, people must be willing to accept to be rehabilitated, to leave such crimes and that is the stage we’re at. People pursuing insecurity are not scared of rehabilitation and bringing them back to the society. The society today is even calling on people that are in the forests, people that are perpetrating these vices to come back. So rehabilitation is already an open ticket. What is not open yet is the ability for them to accept coming back to the society”
Speaking on the killings of soldiers in local communities, Alamboye urged the locales to cooperate to avoid worsening the situation.
He said,
“We all condemn it because the soldiers are also human beings. They have their families and they are there to protect our communities.”
“So, we do not have any business killing those people that are supposed to protect our communities, we should have more confidence in them. Unfortunately, some communities harbor criminals. So they have more confidence in criminals than even the military but they should also know that they are going to be the first victims when the military comes to keep peace and order,” he added.
