Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa, has ruled out the use of military contractors in Nigeria’s ongoing fight against terrorism.
Musa stated that the funds that would be allocated to pay contractors could be better used to strengthen and equip the Nigerian Armed Forces.
His response came after Borno South Senator, Ali Ndume, suggested employing military contractors to combat terrorists in the country, following a deadly Boko Haram attack that left six farmers dead and five others abducted in Ngoshe, Gwoza Local Government Area.
Musa, speaking on Arise TV’s Morning Show, highlighted that relying on military contractors has not yielded successful results in other countries, such as Mali and Afghanistan, where contractors have been engaged for years without achieving a lasting resolution.
He emphasized the complexity of asymmetric warfare, stating that it involves non-state actors who are highly mobile and difficult to track, often benefiting from informants.
While acknowledging Ndume’s right to suggest alternative strategies, Musa firmly rejected the idea, underscoring that investing in building the military’s own capacity through joint training with international partners like the U.S. and Europe is the more sustainable and effective option.
He further pointed out that Nigeria has made significant progress in eliminating terrorists, and more successes are being recorded.
Reacting to the Ndume’s suggestion, Musa said: “We appeal to Nigerians to support the Armed Forces, the challenges we are facing is not isolated. We are not where we want to be but we are heading there.
“Recently, we have military contractors in Mali and how far have they gone? Americans used military contractors in Afghanistan and they fought for 20 years, they left without finishing the war.
“What I’m saying is that asymmetric warfare is a very difficult operation because we are dealing with non-state actors. The only way to identify them is that they are carrying arms.
“Ndume has spoken and there is freedom of speech in democracy, so I understand that he’s trying to look at options but for us it’s not an option. We are doing a lot of joint training with Europeans, Americans to build capacity in other to project this war.
“The war we are facing is not the conventional warfare where you know that the enemy is there, these guys are highly mobile and once you are going after them, there informants give them information about your movement and strength.
“On the 300 killed, we have done more than that, it’s still counting. Military contractors are not the solution because the money you are going to give them why not use it to equip your own military, that would be a better option.”
