RismadarVoice Reporters
November 6, 2026
The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa (retd.), has called for the reintroduction of tollgates on major Nigerian highways, supported by modern surveillance technology, to strengthen security and improve the tracking of criminal activities.
Musa proposed an Abuja roundtable titled Promise to Proof: The Renewed Hope Conversation, organised by the APC Progressive Strategy Roundtable.
He argued that modern tollgates could serve security purposes beyond revenue collection by using electronic systems to identify vehicles through their registration numbers.
According to the minister, such technology could help security agencies monitor suspicious movements without requiring motorists to stop for manual payments.
Musa also advocated improvements to Nigeria’s identification system through personal identification numbers, facial recognition and fingerprint technology.
He maintained that reliable identification systems would support criminal investigations and strengthen intelligence gathering.
Addressing the country’s security challenges, Musa said the Federal Government had allocated ₦5.4 trillion to defence in the 2026 budget and was recruiting an additional 12,000 military personnel.
He also claimed that security forces had killed more than 300 suspected terrorists and bandits, including over 10 commanders, during operations in the preceding week.
The operational figures were presented by the minister and were not independently verified.
Musa identified porous borders, illegal arms movements and instability in the Sahel as major security concerns requiring stronger regional cooperation.
He said Nigeria continued to maintain defence relationships with Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali despite their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States.
The minister also acknowledged that prolonged military involvement in internal security operations had overstretched the armed forces.
He explained that strengthening police recruitment, training and equipment would allow soldiers to gradually return to their primary defence responsibilities.
On military welfare, Musa said the government had improved salaries, healthcare, accommodation and psychological support for personnel and their families.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund, Mohamed Shaidou, said approximately ₦100 billion had been approved for rehabilitating police training institutions.
Shaidou outlined additional initiatives involving police housing, transportation, equipment and welfare support.
Musa urged Nigerians to provide credible security information and cooperate with law enforcement agencies.
He maintained that meaningful improvements in national security should ultimately be reflected in safer highways, protected communities, reopened markets and farmers returning to their fields without fear.
