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The Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa, has explained that the military follows strict protocols before executing any airstrike across the various theatres of operations.
Musa stated that the military conducts its airstrikes with precision, adding that civilians are not deliberately targeted.
Musa who was reacting to the recent accidental killing of 16 civilians in Zamfara on Saturday spoke during an interview on Arise News on Monday.
He said, ” The issue of the airstrikes is still the same. Before we conduct any airstrike, we follow up on movements. And I can tell you, when we do airstrikes, we do it with precision.”
Musa stated that secondary explosions in areas where insurgents store weapons and explosives could have affected the citizens.
He said, “Now we cannot rule out a secondary explosion. Why? Because again, within areas they have weapons, they have bombs, ammunition, and explosives that they keep there. So sometimes if it goes up, you cannot rule out the aspect that civilians might be affected.
“But we do not deliberately target the civilian population, we avoid it as much as possible. We have videos that we follow up before any strike is conducted.”
The CDS noted that the accidental killing allegations might be antics to demoralise troops, adding that most of the allegations come when the military is making headway.
He said, “Maybe a question we should ask is, when is it that while we are succeeding, that’s when you keep on hearing this accidental airstrike here and there? For us, I think this is just a way of demoralizing the troops, demoralizing our air force, and making it look as if we don’t know what we’re doing,” he explained.
Musa called for patience and cooperation in verifying such incidents, urging communities to allow military investigations before concluding the nature of any airstrike.
“Most times, when they say there is any airstrike before you go there, they tell you they buried the people. Why not wait, and then let’s also come and verify these issues?” he questioned.
Terrorists impregnating women every four months after giving birth to multiple fighters-CDS
Also, speaking on the tactics employed by terrorists in their bid to perpetuate violence, the CDS disclosed that the terrorists systematically impregnated women to create a new generation of fighters.
According to Musa, terrorists previously relied on capturing communities and forcibly recruiting men, but the loss of their territories has forced them to adopt a different approach.
The CDS added that this was evident in the number of those who surrendered to troops, noting that out of 120,000 half were children.
Musa said, “Over 120,000 terrorists surrendered. Out of this number, over 60,000 are children. Now, what were the terrorists doing in the past? They used to capture communities and then force men, especially adults, to join them, whether they liked it or not. If you refuse, they behead you, so you have no choice.
“But now that it has become difficult, that they don’t have any territory, they don’t have a means of doing that, they now decided to start impregnating the women repeatedly. If a woman gives birth, four months after, they impregnate her again. They were trying to produce a new set of terrorists.”
The CDS expressed concern that such children would be more brutal and perpetrate heinous crime than their parents if not tamed.
He said, “Those kids, growing up in a society where killing, beheading, and all sorts of heinous acts are rampant, will lack empathy and sympathy. They see these acts as normal. “
FG engages UN, EU to trace terrorism funding in Nigeria – Gen. Musa
Speaking further, Musa said the Federal Government was collaborating with international organisations such as the United Nations and the European Union to disrupt terrorism financing in Nigeria.
Musa also revealed that multiple government agencies, including the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, the Central Bank of Nigeria, the National Intelligence Agency, and the Department of State Services were actively working to trace the sources and movement of funds that sustain terrorist groups.
“We have raised these observations, and the relevant agencies have moved into action. What we are also doing is reaching out to the international community to trace the funds and their movement. If we’re able to do that, we’ll cut off the oxygen that keeps them going, which is very, very vital,” he said.
The Defence Chief noted the complexity of the funding networks, which include both international and local sources.
“It’s a very dangerous and high-value network that has made it difficult for them to be traced. Locally, we believe they are funded through taxes, levies, kidnapping, and other illegal activities. We have reached out to the UN, the EU, and other international organisations to assist in tracking the funds. For me, if we’re able to do that, we’ll mitigate this issue significantly and stop them. This is what keeps them going,” he said.
Military planning lawsuit against Reuters -CDS
The Defence Chief also said the military is preparing to take legal action against Reuters following its report alleging the forced termination of 10,000 pregnancies during counter-insurgency operations in the North East.
Reuters report, published in late 2022, accused the Nigerian military of running a secret and systematic abortion program for women impregnated by insurgents.
The National Human Rights Commission in 2024 exonerated the military after its investigation into the allegations.
Musa expressed disappointment that Reuters failed to retract or apologise for the report, which he said had maligned the country and its armed forces.
“After one and a half years of investigation, it was found that it was a complete lie. I was expecting Reuters to come in and apologize for it, but they did nothing. They did not even respond. After maligning the whole country, they have shown no accountability. I think it’s very important that Nigeria takes up this issue,” he stated.
General Musa revealed that discussions have been held with the Attorney General of the Federation to initiate legal proceedings.
“I’ve discussed with the Attorney General, and I think it’s important that Nigeria addresses this. We will not allow anyone to demoralise our troops or malign the country,” he said.
He also criticised the timing of such allegations, suggesting they are part of efforts to undermine the military’s successes in the fight against terrorism.
“What we realise is that any time we’re making progress, international organizations take it upon themselves to demoralize the country and our troops. We have refused to be demoralized, and we will not be demoralized,” he added.
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