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| General Christopher Musa, the Minister of Defence |
16 January 2026 - Nigeria’s Ministers of Defence and Interior have underscored the urgent need for enhanced cooperation between their ministries to tackle the country’s evolving security challenges.
General Christopher Musa, the Minister of Defence, made the call during a courtesy visit to Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Minister of Interior, in Abuja on Friday. He said that the increasingly blurred line between internal and external security threats meant that no single agency could effectively respond in isolation.
Describing the Ministries of Defence and Interior as “two sides of the same national security coin,” General Musa highlighted terrorism, insurgency, banditry and cross-border crimes as complex threats requiring seamless collaboration and shared responsibility. He urged intelligence-driven responses and joint action across agencies.
The defence minister also advocated for the strengthening of a joint intelligence framework involving the Defence Intelligence Agency and interior agencies, including the Nigerian Immigration Service, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Nigerian Correctional Service. He called for secure platforms for real-time information sharing, regular joint exercises and clear operational protocols to improve coordination.
In his response, Dr Tunji-Ojo agreed on the importance of collaboration and warned against rivalry among security institutions, saying Nigerians were more concerned about safety than bureaucratic boundaries. He identified border security as a key area for joint efforts, emphasising that effective internal security structures would enable the armed forces to concentrate on core defence duties.
The interior minister also clarified the NSCDC’s role in protecting critical national assets and stressed the need for cooperation with the military to counter what he described as “economic terrorism”. Both ministers agreed to establish an inter-ministerial technical committee to institutionalise cooperation and review progress regularly.
They expressed confidence that sustained partnership between the two ministries would strengthen national security, boost public confidence and contribute to a safer Nigeria.
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