We Will Be Able To Identify Criminals If Local Governments Are Working – Christopher Musa

The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd), has lamented the worsening security situation in the country.

Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television on Sunday, he said that many vehicles plying the country’s roads are now being used to ferry weapons, drugs and other items linked to criminal activities.

He asserted that the scale and spread of insecurity across the country can no longer be effectively handled by the Federal Government alone.

The Defence Minister stressed the importance of strong grassroots structures to combat insecurity in the nation.

Musa said, “We have realised that most of these vehicles are being used to ferry weapons, drugs, and all these criminal activities. That is why the Federal Government wants state governments to empower local governments and allow them to function effectively.”

He explained that the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government is pushing for a system in which local governments are empowered to hold weekly security meetings and submit regular reports on developments within their areas, noting that centralising all security responsibilities at the federal level makes responses slow and cumbersome.

“Leaving everything to the Federal Government makes it very cumbersome,” he said. “Crime is local. If local governments are working, they will be able to identify criminals within their communities and deal with them promptly.”

Musa stressed that when local government chairmen are active and engaged, insecurity can be tackled more efficiently.

He noted that in a state with 20 or 25 local governments, effective chairmen would be better positioned to isolate criminal elements operating within their jurisdictions

“If our local governments are working, we’ll be able to identify who the criminals are because crime is local,” he said. “They know their people, they know who is who.”