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Daniel Adaji
Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru has declared that the country is gaining significant ground against insurgents, even though the battle remains a complex and unconventional guerrilla war.
Speaking at the 2025 ministerial press briefing on Wednesday, Badaru countered recent concerns raised by the House of Representatives that terrorists possess superior warfare.
“That is absolutely not true,” he declared. “We have much more sophisticated equipment and we have much more sophisticated drones.”
According to the Minister, while the nation has made measurable strides in restoring peace and reclaiming lost territories, the insurgency has evolved.
“This war is not a conventional one. It is like a guerrilla war. They watch us, they have informants among us, among the people that we try to protect. And they give them information and they jump at us when we don’t expect,” he said.
The Defence Minister highlighted that terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) have been significantly weakened through coordinated military efforts, especially in the North East.
“Over the past two years, our intensified operation have significantly weakened Boko Haram and ISWAP strongholds. Several high-value targets have been neutralised and dozens captured,” he said.
Badaru reported major improvements in security along key routes like Maiduguri-Gamboru and Kaduna-Abuja, and the return of displaced communities to towns in Borno State.
“Those of you in the area would not dare pass through these roads two, three years ago. But now the security has improved significantly,” he said.
On the issue of armed drones allegedly used by terrorists, the Minister clarified that these devices are not advanced military-grade UAVs. “What we saw up to today are normal small drones, civilian drones. They just tie bombs to it—improvised bombs—and just drop. It’s not sophisticated. It’s not armed drone that has strategic guidance,” he explained. “It’s just publication.”
To combat this, the Minister said Nigeria has enhanced its intelligence operations, both domestically and with international partners.
“We are doubling our intelligence and monitoring the use of civilian drones now,” he added.
The Minister cited figures: from May 2023 to February 2025, the military neutralised 13,543 terrorists and criminals, arrested 17,469, and rescued 9,821 hostages. In addition, over 124,000 terrorist fighters and their families surrendered. Recovered arms include 11,118 weapons and 252,596 assorted ammunitions.
“Actually, the military are neutralising these bandits by day and the leaders are going down by day,” Badaru added.
He also highlighted the success of non-kinetic programs like Operation Safe Corridor, noting its effectiveness in de-radicalisation. “This program has been very, very effective,” he said.
In the north-central region, coordinated efforts have led to the destruction of gun factories in Plateau State and the arrest of kidnappers and arms traffickers.
“Three gun-making factories were discovered and destroyed in Birom and Mangu areas,” he revealed.
He also addressed the economic sabotage in the South-South. Troops under Operation Delta Safe have destroyed thousands of illegal refining sites, boosting oil production from 1.25 million barrels per day in early 2023 to around 1.6 million currently. “Sometimes it goes up to 1.8m, ” he added.
The Defence Ministry, he said, has also expanded its domestic arms production. “As of today, 53 companies have an MOU with us about 10 of them have started production, including some light drones, MRAVs, PCs, helmets, and safety vests.”
Badaru maintained that defeating insurgency requires more than firepower. “History shows that defeating asymmetric threats requires not just bullets and bombs, but winning hearts and minds, stabilising local economies, de-radicalising ideologies and rebuilding governance structures,” said.
He assured the public of continued commitment under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
“The President’s firm directive, ‘Enough is Enough,’ signals reinforcement of political will, which spurs us to double our efforts.”
“The fight is not over,” Badaru said, “but we are winning.”