Citizens Don’t Need Combat Training, They Need a Government That Can Keep Them Safe |Amb. Adedipe Dauda Ewenla

The recent call by Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, urging every Nigerian to learn combat skills for self-defence, has raised alarm among citizens who feel abandoned by the very institutions meant to protect them.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on August 21, 2025, Gen. Musa suggested that Nigerians should acquire skills such as karate, taekwondo, and judo, and even proposed that unarmed combat training be included in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) curriculum. According to him, these skills are as important as driving and swimming.

While the remarks were intended as advice for self-protection, they have sparked outrage across the country. To many, they represent an admission of failure by the security leadership.

Security is the constitutional duty of government, not of individual civilians. Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) clearly states that “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.” Section 217 further defines the role of the Armed Forces: to defend the country, maintain its territorial integrity, and suppress insurrection.

By urging ordinary Nigerians to prepare themselves for combat, the CDS risks normalising insecurity and shifting responsibility from the state to its victims. How can unarmed civilians reasonably be expected to confront well-armed bandits and terrorists? Such a suggestion is, at best, misplaced, and at worst, reckless.

A Failing Security Architecture

Across Nigeria, nowhere feels safe. Banditry, kidnappings, and terrorist attacks continue to claim lives daily. In some regions, abductors now operate openly, with little fear of consequence. Communities are under siege, and highways have become death traps.

Against this backdrop, telling citizens to “learn combat” sounds more like an excuse for institutional underperformance than a real security strategy. What Nigerians demand are concrete, results-based measures: stronger intelligence, faster response times, improved coordination among security agencies, and swift prosecution of offenders.

Call for Accountability

If Nigeria’s defence leadership cannot meet its primary duty of protecting lives and property, then it must be held accountable. Citizens expect not words but measurable outcomes. The CDS should either present a practical plan for tackling insecurity or step aside for leadership that can.

Similarly, the APC-led federal government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must face the reality that its foremost responsibility is to safeguard the lives of Nigerians. On this score, the administration is failing. Families are mourning daily, and businesses are collapsing under the weight of insecurity.

The Way Forward

Instead of burdening civilians with combat training, the government should:

Strengthen intelligence gathering and surveillance with drones, sensors, and rapid deployment forces.

Reform and adequately equip the police for community-level crime prevention.

Secure schools and highways through joint task forces and technology-driven patrols.

Disrupt terror financing and logistics networks through coordinated investigations.

Deliver transparent monthly security scorecards so Nigerians can measure progress.

Conclusion

A government that tells its citizens to defend themselves is a government that has abandoned its duty. Nigerians deserve a country where children can go to school, farmers can work their land, and families can travel without fear.

What Nigeria needs is not combat classes for civilians, but competent leadership in defence and governance. Anything short of that is unacceptable.