Odita Sunday 
HURIWA Urges Nigerians To Back Defence Minister Musa As New Counterterrorism Strategy Gains Momentum
A leading civil rights group, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has called on Nigerians and civil society organisations to rally behind the Minister of Defence, Christopher Gwabin Musa, as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to strengthen its counterterrorism operations.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, HURIWA said the Defence Ministry under General Musa has begun laying critical groundwork aimed at delivering a more effective and coordinated national security architecture to protect lives and property.
The group also threw its weight behind the Chief of Defence Staff, Olufemi Oluyede, for urging communities in the North-East to collaborate closely with security agencies in the fight against terrorism, particularly against insurgent groups such as Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province.
HURIWA described as “commendable” the recent memorandum of understanding between the Nigerian Ministry of Defence and a foreign firm, MARSS, for a $190 million national Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C4I) programme.
The agreement, signed in London on March 19, 2026, is expected to deliver Nigeria’s first fully integrated national defence system.
According to the group, the multi-year project will deploy advanced AI-enabled surveillance and intelligence platforms, including unmanned aerial vehicles and sensor networks, to provide a unified operational picture across air and land domains enhancing counterterrorism and internal security operations nationwide.
HURIWA further welcomed the planned establishment of a national command centre and regional hubs to support real-time intelligence gathering and coordinated military responses.
The group, however, stressed the need for sustained public support and stronger collaboration between civil society actors and the military to defeat insurgency.
It urged Defence authorities to ensure that troops are adequately equipped with modern weapons and logistics to match the evolving capabilities of terrorist groups.
Reiterating its stance on combat operations, HURIWA reminded troops of the directive by General Musa, who had instructed personnel to engage armed criminals on sight without waiting for orders in life-threatening situations.
The group argued that swift battlefield decisions could significantly reduce casualties among security forces.
While calling for intensified military action to decisively end terrorism, HURIWA also expressed opposition to the reintegration of former insurgents, advocating instead for more aggressive measures to dismantle terrorist networks.
The statement was signed by the National Coordinator of HURIWA, Emmanuel Onwubiko.
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