By Tokunbo2

Copyright thesun

From Noah Ebije, Kaduna

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher G. Musa, has charged Nigeria’s security forces to identify criminal elements troubling the country and the wider Sahel region, and to take them out for peace to reign.

The CDS, who spoke as Guest of Honour at the closing ceremony of Exercise Haske Biyu, a joint security training organised by the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, Kaduna, said removing those criminal elements is the only way for Nigeria and the Sahel to enjoy peace.

According to him, “At the end of the day, the only thing we must do is to look for the bad guys and take them out. That is the only way we can have peace.”

He warned that the crisis in the Sahel is intensifying and emphasised that the enemies Nigeria faces do not respect national borders, a reality that makes unilateral action ineffective.

“If we hold on to our borders alone, we will continue to suffer. But if we unite and work across, it makes it better,” Musa said, urging regional cooperation and coordinated operations.

Pointing to the Multinational Joint Task Force in Chad, the CDS said the effort shows how neighbouring countries can operate as “brothers” to root out insurgents who exploit porous boundaries.

He linked military action to community engagement, insisting security forces cannot succeed without the cooperation of citizens who must deny criminals safe havens.

“Once communities deny these elements the ability to stay, they will not be able to stand,” Musa told participants, stressing that civil-military synergy is vital to sustainable gains.

The CDS also highlighted the role of the media in shaping public perception, praising journalists for educating Nigerians on the objectives and progress of security operations.

“When perception is wrong, anything you are doing will be perceived as being wrong. So the media is critical,” he said, thanking reporters for sustained, constructive coverage.

Musa urged personnel to remain professional and resist corruption and partisan influence, warning that money and politics could undermine operations against armed groups.

“The only thing we must do is to look for the bad guys and take them out,” he reiterated, charging officers to execute their mandate without fear or favour.

Closing his address, General Musa charged participants to convert the training’s outcomes into “solution-driven action”, stressing that relentless pursuit of criminals in cooperation with neighbours, communities and the media is the surest route to lasting peace.

Earlier in his welcome address, Commandant of AFCSC, Air Vice Marshal Hassan Idris Alhaji, said Haske Biyu 2025, the largest exercise the college has held, deliberately adopted the theme Family and National Security to reconnect social cohesion with national defence.

He warned that weak families and fractured communities create fertile ground for radicalism and criminality, and urged trainees to translate lessons learned into community-focused action on return to their formations.

“The presence and representation of high-level dignitaries at the exercise underscored the national importance of the event and the need for an all-of-society approach to security,” the Commandant said.