Defence chief admits soldiers’ involvement in drugs, arms trafficking

Defence chief admits soldiers’ involvement in drugs, arms trafficking

Christopher Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), has admitted that some personnel of the Nigerian Armed Forces have been involved in trafficking arms and illicit drugs.

Musa made this disclosure on Saturday during the passing-out parade of the 87 Regular Recruits Intake at the Depot Nigerian Army Centenary Celebration in Zaria, Kaduna State.

The CDS, who served as the Special Guest of Honour and Reviewing Officer of the parade, cautioned the newly trained soldiers against indiscipline and misconduct found among current personnel in the Nigerian military.

“Indiscipline will not and never be tolerated. Of recent, we have had issues of personnel found trafficking arms, drugs, weapons across. This must end. The abuse of social media, will not be tolerated.

“We don’t want military operations to be broadcast on social media platforms by members of the armed forces. We don’t want to expose our operations and personnel to social media because hackers and individuals that don’t mean well will take advantage of us,” Musa said.

Addressing the newly graduated recruits, Musa said the 5,867 soldiers would bolster the armed forces in the ongoing fight against insecurity across the country. He also called on Nigerians to support the military’s efforts against insecurity.

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“The fight against insecurity cannot be done by the government alone. We need the cooperation of every Nigerian. If you see anything, report it, and we will act immediately,” he added.

In Nigeria, civilians hold about 6.1 million small arms, according to a 2020 study by SBM Intelligence. Nigeria continues to suffer the consequences of this spread of illegal weapons.

The same SBM study for instance, directly linked the rise in arms to increasing violence and unrest.

Similarly, in May, Interpol reported how illegal firearms are closely tied to the activities of terrorist groups such as Boko Haram in Central and West Africa.

Earlier this year, FIJ reported that 1,027 civilians were killed in preventable incidents in the first quarter of 2024. These included violence, armed robbery, abductions, gang clashes and terrorist attacks.

In the same period, 123 security personnel, including police officers, NSCDC officials and soldiers also lost their lives to similar incidents.

Another report by the International Center for Investigative Reporting stated that 2,300 deaths were recorded in the first 90 days of 2024 due to armed conflicts. These deaths were linked to 1,395 reported incidents across the country.

‘Fisayo Soyombo, investigative journalist and founder of FIJ, has, on recent occasions, pointed out the involvement of security agencies in Nigeria in arms trafficking through his undercover series as a smuggler and follow-up revelations.

Defence chief admits soldiers’ involvement in drugs, arms trafficking