Nigeria spends no less than $100,000—about ₦150 million—on a single medium-range precision weapon for drones, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has revealed.

“The price of a medium-range precision weapon for a drone is $100,000—for one. So, if you strike once, that’s $100,000. How much is that in naira? It’s about ₦150 million. How many can we afford to buy? So we have to be very careful about where we deploy it, to ensure it makes the desired impact,” he said.

The Defence Chief warned that drone warfare is highly capital-intensive and must be used strategically to achieve results.

Major Breakthroughs Against Insurgents

Gen Musa recalled a recent drone operation that killed over 100 insurgents and destroyed more than 50 motorcycles.

“That was a good strike because the timing was right, we were ready, and the drone was available. We took out the insurgents,” he explained.

He admitted, however, that Nigeria lacks real-time satellite technology for modern warfare.

“We need real-time satellite capabilities. During operations, if we can see our commanders and their directions, we can provide input from the control centre. But we don’t currently have that. These technologies are extremely expensive because we don’t produce them ourselves,” he said.

The Defence Chief revealed that Nigerian forces had spent nearly six years tracking leaders of the Ansaru terrorist group before finally arresting them.

According to Musa, insurgents still manipulate local communities by using religion as cover.

“They make you think it’s about religion—‘we’re just preaching’, ‘we’re your brothers’. But when the locals could no longer sustain them, the terrorists started taxing the people. And when that didn’t work, they turned on them. It’s always the same pattern,” he said.

Terror Financing Through Gold

Musa disclosed the growing use of gold to finance terrorism in Nigeria. Speaking on Channels Television, he said terror financiers exploit international networks, making them difficult to prosecute.

When asked about the main funding source, he replied: “Gold. They try to circulate this money, and that is why it is important for us to be able to track these things. The process is on, but it involves a lot of legal issues and international connections. Some funds come from outside, and we cannot do anything from within.”

He added that local collaborators are often used to remit money daily. “They provide motorcycles, give them something to do, and those ones remit funds daily into some account,” he said.

Simon Ekpa and the South-East Calm

The defence chief also spoke on the prosecution of Simon Ekpa, the pro-Biafran agitator arrested in Finland in November 2024. He noted that Ekpa’s arrest had brought relative peace to the South-East.

“He is still undergoing prosecution in Finland. Since he has been arrested, the Southeast is getting better. We are going to go after the likes of him, wherever they are, until we bring them down,” Musa said.

He explained that security agencies are now pursuing Ekpa’s associates across Imo, Enugu, Anambra, Ebonyi and Abia states.

Synergy Brings Success

The defence boss described the arrest of two Ansaru commanders, Mahmud Muhammad Usman and Mahmud al-Nigeri, as a breakthrough made possible by the new synergy among Nigeria’s security forces.

“On the Ansaru commanders that were arrested, this is one of the most significant arrests that have been made. Getting the two of them shows how detailed the planning was, and that was how they were able to pick the two of them. These are guys that were hunted for a very long time. It shows that the intelligence and operational works are working together,” he said.

National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu confirmed that the two men were behind the 2022 Kuje prison attack and the 2013 assault on Niger’s uranium facility. Both suspects are also wanted internationally for terrorism-related crimes.

Gen Musa said synergy among the Army, Navy and Air Force has changed the game. “What has changed is that we have synergy with all the organisations… and that is why we have seen all the successes,” he stated.

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