The Chief of Defence Staff, Geneeral Christopher Musa, has linked the recent surge in killings across the country to the build-up to the 2027 general election.

The country has in recent times witnessed renewed terror attacks in the North-East and attacks by the bandits in the North-West.

On Monday, at least 34 worshippers at a mosque in Unguwar Mantau community of Malumfashi Local Government Area of Katsina State were killed.

Musa said the rising wave of insecurity compared to last year could not be divorced from political activities ahead of the polls.

According to him, some politicians are deliberately fuelling violence to discredit the government’s security record and campaign on the back of chaos.

The Defence Chief further disclosed that terrorism continues to thrive in Nigeria due to local and foreign funding.

He said the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, the Department of State Services and the National Intelligence Agency are tracking terror financiers, though legal hurdles have slowed down the process of naming them.

He noted the identification of international collaborations and foreign funding of terrorism, assuring that such links are being tracked.

Musa lamented that the country’s legal system frustrates terrorism prosecution, calling for faster trials, stiffer laws and the creation of special courts for terrorism cases.

The CDS also acknowledged the security risks posed by instability in the Sahel region, pointing to open markets for arms and ammunition in neighbouring countries and Nigeria’s porous 4,000-kilometre border.

He cautioned Nigerians against indiscriminate hospitality towards foreigners, stressing that many infiltrators pose as brothers and sisters but end up as threats.

Musa said the military was working with Sahelian counterparts under the Alliance of Sahel States to curb cross-border terrorism, but urged Nigerians to support the Armed Forces by refusing to shield criminals.

The CDS also lamented that terrorists in the country were taking advantage of the inadequacy of technological equipment to continue to perpetrate their heinous acts.

He disclosed that security had become expensive partially due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, but said the Nigerian Army was doing its best with available resources to ensure the protection of citizens.

Musa also stated that the military needed real-time satellites for precision strikes, noting however, that the technology was very expensive, a fact he said was exploited by the bandits and terrorists.

He added that some other countries were able to use the technologically-advanced equipment because they produced them by themselves, adding that the administration of President Bola Tinubu had approved the Defence Industrial Bill that would allow production in Nigeria.

The Chief of Defence Staff, said Nigeria has significantly become safer today than it was two years ago, citing a reduction in the frequency of attacks and a return to normalcy in many communities as evidence of progress.

The defence chief acknowledged that isolated attacks still occur but emphasised that their frequency has drastically reduced compared to previous years.

He reiterated the government’s commitment to securing peace in the country.