Outrage Trails Defence Minister’s 70% Score for Tinubu’s Security Record

By Victor Idajili

Defence Minister, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), has sparked a storm online after rating President Bola Tinubu’s administration 65-70% on security, even as kidnappings, bandit attacks, and killings continue across several states.

Speaking on ARISE News on Friday while marking Tinubu’s third year in office, Musa said Nigeria was safer than it was three years ago. He argued that terrorism had dropped sharply and that no country is 100% free of crime.

“I’ll give us 65 to 70 per cent. No country is crime-free. Terrorism across the country has drastically reduced,” the minister said.

The comment quickly drew backlash from Nigerians who said the rating didn’t match what people are experiencing daily.

“Score doesn’t match reality,” critics say  
On X, formerly Twitter, many pointed to recent attacks in Borno, Kebbi, Plateau, and Oyo as proof that insecurity is far from under control.

Human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore wrote: “The reality Nigerians face daily doesn’t reflect this performance rating. Security is still collapsing in many parts of the country.”

Journalist David Hundeyin also pushed back: “You can’t claim 70% when schoolchildren are still being kidnapped and communities pay ransom every week.”

Another user, Imran Muhammad, asked: “If parents in some regions are still afraid to send kids to school, what exactly does 70% mean?”

The sarcasm didn’t stop there. “Clap for yourself,” one commenter posted. Another wrote off the claim as “ghost statistics.”

Military has made gains, supporters argue.
Not everyone disagreed. Some users and security analysts said the military has recorded real progress, especially in the North-East where Boko Haram and ISWAP have lost territory.

Security analyst Zagazola Makama noted that several terror commanders have been killed and that troop morale has improved under recent operations.

Former Minister of Aviation Femi Fani-Kayode also defended the armed forces, saying they are fighting a complex, asymmetric war under tough conditions. “Critics forget the scale of what our troops are dealing with,” he posted.

Minister blames “internal decay” for kidnapping.
Musa didn’t just defend the score. He also shifted part of the blame for kidnapping to social breakdown. 

“We now have fathers kidnapping their own children, siblings kidnapping each other. That tells you something is wrong with our values,” he said. “People want quick money without work. Until we fix that mindset, kidnapping won’t end.”

He added that Nigerian forces recently killed a deputy ISIS commander after months of tracking, and that international partners like the US, UK, France, Brazil, and Turkey are now backing Nigeria’s counter-terror efforts more strongly.

The minister warned that ignoring terrorism now could create a problem like Turkey’s decades-long Kurdish insurgency.

Tinubu’s security record back in focus.  
Musa’s rating has reignited debate over Tinubu’s handling of security since 2023. The government has touted fewer large-scale terror attacks and the reopening of some highways in the North-East. But fresh waves of banditry, kidnapping for ransom, and communal clashes in the North-Central and North-West keep the issue alive.

For many Nigerians, the 70% score felt disconnected from their daily reality. For the military and its supporters, it reflects gains that don’t always make headlines.

The argument, for now, is far from settled.