Nigeria’s Porous Borders fuelling Insecurity, says Christopher Musa

Christopher Musa, Nigeria’s minister of defence, says porous borders are fuelling the country’s insecurity crisis.

In an interview with the BBC, Musa said the federal government is exploring measures, including border walls and advanced technology, to prevent illegal crossings that allow terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers to operate across Nigeria.

“Porous borders are one of the main reasons for insecurity in Nigeria,” Musa said.

He noted that while building a physical wall across all of Nigeria’s more than 4,000 kilometres of land borders may not be feasible, technology can help monitor movements and trigger alarms when people cross illegally.

The former chief of defence staff added that other countries with even longer borders have implemented similar measures successfully.

Musa said the government plans to work closely with communities near the borders to ensure residents understand their role in stopping terrorists.

“Maybe we cannot have physical walls everywhere, but there is technology we can deploy systematically. Once someone crosses, an alarm is triggered and we take action,” he said.

“We need to create awareness and communicate with communities so they do not support terrorists in any way.”

Musa’s remarks come after mass abductions in Niger, Kebbi, and Kwara states as 2025 drew to a close.

On Christmas Day, the United States carried out air strikes on suspected hideouts of the Lakurawa terrorist group in Sokoto state, an action Musa said forced the terrorists to flee back to Niger Republic.

He also rejected claims that the government pays ransom to bandits, saying many kidnappers abandon their captives when cornered by the military.

“We do not approve ransom payments for any reason,” Musa said.

The minister further dismissed allegations by US President Donald Trump that Christians are being persecuted in Nigeria, noting that the violence affects all Nigerians regardless of religion.

“Nigerians are being killed. That is the bottom line,” he said.

“Our focus is to stop the killings, whoever the perpetrators or victims are.”