Christopher Musa, minister of defence, says the recent surge in terrorist attacks in the north-east may be politically motivated and orchestrated by individuals seeking to portray the government as weak.
Speaking during an appearance on Arise TV, Musa said such attacks often intensify during election season and may involve actors within and outside the country.
“Any time it’s a political year, it goes up. And why is that so? Individuals want to take advantage to make the government look weak or to show that they are still capable and that there’s no need to keep the government because of that,” he said.
“You don’t have to kill the people you want to govern. Why do you have to go and make sure that things like this increase just because you think you want to make some cheap goals?”
The minister added that Nigeria is making progress in its fight against insecurity and urged citizens to support government efforts.
He said terrorist groups often exaggerate their impact to create fear, and that a single successful attack is amplified to give the impression that they are widespread.
“We’ve had a number of casualties. It is a war that is ongoing, and that’s why it’s important for us to understand that we all need to remain alert, continue to support the armed forces, and continue to support the government so that we can win,” Musa said. 
“We’re fighting a determined enemy who is getting support from outside and who has nothing to lose.
“The worst enemy you can fight is somebody from within, somebody who has nothing to lose. And to them, because it is ideological, they feel if they die, they’re going to heaven.
“If they kill somebody, they’re going to get blessed. So they take any risk to come out. It is very unfortunate that we lost very wonderful officers because these were deliberate attacks.”
JILLI BOMBING
Speaking on the recent air strike in Jilli market of Borno state, Musa said the area had been banned for a while because terrorists use it as a supply point, where they receive fertiliser for improvised explosive devices (IEDs), as well as food and fuel.
He said no one affected by the strike was innocent.
The ex-chief of defence staff said it is “really disturbing” when people try to change the narrative to make it appear as if those affected were just innocent people.
“Nobody in that area was innocent. None of them. And I can attest to you that if any of them is innocent, they will have said it,” he said.
“They knew where they were there. They were making brisk business. I tell you, if you take a bag of rice in that area, you sell it for about N150,000. The money is much. So, the attraction is so much.
“People buy fuel, take a full tank, go there, empty it and sell it to them. And they make so much money.
“So, the attraction is for them to make brisk business. And that’s what keeps them going. That’s what we’ve warned.”
