Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (Rtd), has said the country cannot overcome terrorism through military operations alone, stressing that lasting peace requires a combination of military action, dialogue, community engagement and other non-kinetic approaches.

Speaking during the ARISE NEWS Town Hall on State Police, Musa said the armed forces remain committed to eliminating terrorists through professional operations, but sustainable security can only be achieved by addressing the social and human factors driving insecurity.

According to him, “You must be able to bring the kinetic and the non-kinetic working together.”

He explained that members of the armed forces operate under established rules of engagement that regulate the use of force during operations.

“Members of the armed forces have their rules of engagement. Once you are deployed for an operation, you are allowed to take out the enemy using the standards,” he said.

Musa noted that troops undergo extensive training before deployment to enable them distinguish between terrorists, bandits and civilians.

“As professionals, we train our troops before deploying them. Once they are deployed, they are able to identify who is a bandit, who is a terrorist and who is a civilian,” he stated.

Describing asymmetric warfare as one of the most difficult forms of conflict, he said terrorists often hide within civilian populations, making military operations more complex.

“Asymmetric warfare is a very difficult operation because the enemy is within. The individual you think is an ordinary citizen, your brother or your uncle, could be the one assisting the terrorists,” he said.

Drawing lessons from other countries, Musa said successful counterterrorism efforts require patience and a balanced strategy rather than relying solely on military force. He cited Turkey’s more than four-decade struggle against the PKK, noting that progress only came through combining military action with dialogue.

“In Turkey, they’ve been dealing with the PKK for over 40 years. It is only recently that they began making progress because they combined the kinetic and non-kinetic approaches,” he said.

The Defence Minister maintained that no nation has ever secured lasting peace through force alone.

“No country can shoot itself to peace,” he said.

He argued that military operations account for only about 25 to 30 per cent of effective counterterrorism efforts, while dialogue, understanding and engagement with affected communities make up the larger share.

Musa also stressed the importance of community cooperation, noting that terrorists often operate from within local communities. He said security operations become more effective when residents provide intelligence but are significantly more difficult when communities support or shield criminal elements.

“If the communities are on their side, it makes it difficult for the security forces to win the battle. If the communities are with the security forces, it becomes much easier,” he said.

He concluded by urging policymakers to focus on addressing the underlying causes of insecurity rather than responding only after violence occurs.

“The question we should ask is why we are where we are, and whether we are addressing the issues that brought us to this point,” Musa said.