• Ndukuba urges govt to expose sponsors
• Navy chief canvasses use of homegrown tech against menace
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Christopher Musa, has identified strengthening of family values as crucial to addressing insecurity in Nigeria.
He charged soldiers to identify and neutralise criminal elements in the country.
Also, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Archbishop Henry Ndukuba, commended the recent steps aimed at addressing insecurity across the country, calling on the Federal Government to summon the political will to expose those behind insecurity, terrorism and banditry.
Meanwhile, the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, stressed the urgent need for the military to embrace homegrown technology and innovation to strengthen national security.
Speaking yesterday, at the closing of the 2025 edition of Exercise Haske Biyu at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC) in Jaji, Kaduna, Musa said the exercise focused on family values, civic duty and moral resilience as core elements, given the security challenges facing Nigeria and other participating nations.
“The family is the bedrock of every community. Without the family, there can’t be a good community,” Musa said.
“What we have realised is that because the family system is failing, insecurity is growing, which means if we address the family issues, insecurity will go down.”
The defence chief stressed that families must instil discipline, respect and love in their wards, noting that the values shape responsible citizens.
“That is why you have the regulations. That is how people grow up to understand what it is to be human, what it is to respect one another and what it is to love one another,” he added.
The CDS encouraged families to remain united, noting that strong bonds at that level translate into national cohesion. “If families are united, then we are our brothers’ keepers and will not allow harm to happen to any other person, and Nigeria will be better,” he said.
Musa said the theme of this year’s exercise, ‘Family and National Security’, was apt, as security begins with strong families and cohesive communities, not just the efforts of security agencies.
Commandant of AFCSC, Hassan Alhaji, said the exercise highlighted the importance of strong families as the foundation of society.
He warned that weak family systems could fuel extremism, radicalism and disunity, threatening national cohesion and stability.
As part of the event, Musa inaugurated the remodelled staff duties wing of the college.
Speaking at the opening of this year’s World Mission Congress in Abuja, Ndukuba noted that some privileged citizens, including traditional and political leaders, were complicit in the crisis.
“Development cannot come until the government addresses the insecurity affecting socio-economic activities in the country,” he stated, urging ordinary citizens to collaborate with security agencies in restoring peace.
Reminding leaders that the founding fathers united against colonial rule to secure Independence in 1960, setting aside divisions for the sake of the nation’s progress, he called on the nation’s political elite to place national interest above personal ambition and emulate the selfless sacrifice of the country’s founding fathers.
The cleric also stressed that church leaders must not allow the present challenges to hinder the spread of the Gospel of Christ.
He reaffirmed the Anglican Church’s commitment to education and empowerment initiatives, to alleviate the plight of the downtrodden and amplify the voices of the marginalised in society.
According to the CNS, Nigeria has long depended on foreign countries for military hardware, spare parts and technical expertise, often facing delays and vulnerabilities in times of crisis.
Such dependence, security experts warned, undermines operational readiness and compromises sovereignty.
Speaking at the Nigerian Navy Seminar on Research and Development in Abuja yesterday, Ogalla, who was represented by the Chief of Communication and Information Technology (Navy), Rear Admiral Hamza Kaoje, warned that the Navy must not remain a passive consumer of foreign technology, but should position itself as a co-creator and regional leader in naval innovation.
Ogalla said, “From Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data Analytics to Unmanned Surface and Underwater Vehicles, Cyber Warfare capabilities and Satellite Surveillance Systems, effective maritime security now demands the seamless integration of smart systems and real-time information.”
He listed radars, navigation systems, drones, secure communications equipment, and surveillance platforms as areas where local research and production must be accelerated.
He also called for stronger frameworks in domestic shipbuilding, retrofitting of legacy platforms using local expertise, and the establishment of technology incubation hubs in partnership with the private sector.
