The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), has disclosed that the Nigerian Armed Forces have initiated plans to gradually withdraw from internal security operations across the country as the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) builds up its operational capacity.
Speaking at the APC Abuja Roundtable on Thursday, the Defence Minister explained that prolonged domestic security deployments have severely overstretched military personnel, leaving troops exhausted after years of continuous rotations across conflict zones.
The minister noted that soldiers were originally deployed to counter complex threats that overwhelmed regular law enforcement. However, he emphasized that continuous operational demands mean many personnel spend up to two years in a single location before being reassigned immediately to other volatile regions like the North-West, keeping them away from their families for extended periods.
General Musa confirmed that he recently held strategic security assessments with the Inspector-General of Police to map out joint transition plans. He explained that as ongoing police recruitment drives, specialized training, and structural reforms take full effect, domestic security duties will be handed back to conventional law enforcement, allowing military units to return to their barracks to rest and focus on primary defense responsibilities. Under the planned framework, the military will step in only when internal security situations exceed police capabilities.
Addressing wider non-kinetic security measures, the Defence Minister stated that Nigeria made an error in dismantling its tollgates, noting that modern toll stations serve as essential security checkpoints worldwide.
He also advocated for stronger national identity registration measures to enhance internal intelligence and tracking across the country.
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