WHEN, NOT IF. WHAT DOES NIGERIA'S MILITARY KNOW?

Not ‘if’ but ‘when.’ Nigeria's Chief of Defence Staff appears to have made a Freudian slip. Speaking during the Voice of Nigeria (VON) Forum 2025, General Christopher Musa said that Nigeria will be the next target when - not if - the Sahel falls to terrorism. That simple word choice is raising concerns about what exactly Nigeria's military knows regarding the security situation in the Sahel. 

Bear in mind that neighbouring Niger has accused Nigeria of collusion with France in its efforts to destabilise the Sahel. According to Niamey, Paris has partnered with terrorist groups in the Lake Chad region to destabilise Niger, with the tacit complicity of Abuja. The suspicion becomes more credible in light of utterances by certain French officials. For example, former spy Vincent Crouzet admitted that the departure of France from Niger gives Paris leeway to engage in more covert destabilisation as 'there are no French hostages’ in the country.

In his speech, General Musa urged Nigeria, despite its size, to erect a border fence around the entire country before the Sahel ‘falls.’ But is ‘building a wall’ a good idea at all? Previously, fragmentation worked against Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, with terrorists slipping in and out of the region's porous borders to conduct attacks.  Now that these three countries have shown that a collaborative security alternative is available, and the region is moving toward greater integration, is increased isolation from its neighbours the way forward for Nigeria?

Let us know what you think.

Credit: Eset TV