Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, retired General Christopher Musa, has said every Nigerian should undergo military training to gain a better understanding of the hardship, discipline and sacrifices involved in protecting the country.

Musa made the remarks while speaking on the African Leadership Podcast with Ken Giami, where he discussed the demands of military service and the challenges faced by personnel deployed to secure the country.

According to the minister, military training would expose Nigerians to the physical and mental demands of service, including hunger, exhaustion, long periods without sleep and the need to continue working despite extreme fatigue.

“Every Nigerian should be able to go through military training. It will give you a different perspective about life. You will now understand what it means to stay hungry and what it means to work in days without sleep,” Musa said.

He added that such experience would help citizens understand the endurance required of soldiers operating in difficult conditions.

“It will show you what endurance means when you walk kilometres and you are tired but you still need to keep on going.

“You have not eaten; you have not taken one because of the nature of the thing and because you are doing it to protect,” he said.

Musa linked the experience of military personnel to the sacrifice involved in protecting the lives and property of other citizens.

“And that’s exactly what the military men are doing, putting their lives at stake for their country to move around,” he said.

The Defence Minister also appealed to Nigerians to have greater appreciation for soldiers, noting that military personnel are members of families who leave their loved ones behind while serving in difficult environments.

He said criticism of the military should take into account the conditions under which troops operate and the sacrifices they make to keep the country secure.

“Everybody wants peace, and that is important, so we want them to understand soldiers are fathers, brothers and sisters of people.

“They’ve families they’ve left behind, staying in the weather, rain, dust, night or day, staying there to ensure the country is secured,” Musa said.

The minister’s comments come amid Nigeria’s continuing security challenges, including terrorism, banditry and kidnapping.

He also discussed broader counter-insurgency efforts during the podcast, including the need for stronger domestic capacity to produce military equipment.

Musa further attributed increased infiltration along some of Nigeria’s borders to developments involving Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, which withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

He said Nigeria was also strengthening bilateral security relationships with neighbouring countries, including Cameroon, as part of efforts to secure the country’s southern borders.

Four illegal miners have died after a sand excavation pit collapsed at Tangur community in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The incident occurred at about 2:20pm on Tuesday, according to a report by counter-insurgency publication Zagazola Makama, after troops responded to reports of a sand collapse involving suspected illegal miners along a river line.

“The troops visited the scene and confirmed that four victims had died as a result of the collapse,” Makama reported.

The deceased were identified as Mallam Fahad Aliyu and three women whose identities had not been established at the time of the report. Their relatives recovered the bodies for burial.

During preliminary inquiries, troops engaged the community leader, who reportedly said he was unaware of the illegal mining activities in the area.

Further investigation is ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the collapse and the extent of illegal mining activities at the site.

The Plateau incident comes barely a week after 37 suspected illegal miners died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State. The deaths followed their arrest during anti-illegal mining operations on September 15 and 16.

The Federal Government has since inaugurated a 10-member independent committee to investigate the Niger deaths, while the NSCDC Niger State Commandant and 20 other officers were suspended pending the outcome of the probe.

The cause of the 37 deaths has not been established. Authorities have ordered investigations and forensic examinations to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 36-year-old suspected cultist, Muyideen Olatunbosun, and recovered a rubber-made pistol, an axe, criminal charms and an illicit drug popularly known as “Ice” during an intelligence-led anti-crime patrol in Ikorodu.

A statement by the command said Olatunbosun was arrested by police operatives while they were conducting patrols around Idi-Iroko, Ogolonto and Agric areas of Ikorodu, Lagos State, following information received during the operation.

The command said the arrest was part of its continued efforts to tackle cultism and other criminal activities across the state.

A search conducted on the suspect after his arrest led to the recovery of one rubber-made pistol, one axe, criminal charms and the illicit drug known as “Ice”.

“The suspect is currently in police custody and is assisting with the ongoing investigation. Efforts are also ongoing to apprehend other members of his alleged cult group,” the statement said.

The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Tijani Fatai, commended the operatives for their vigilance and prompt response to credible information.

He reaffirmed the command’s commitment to sustaining intelligence-led operations against cultism and other forms of criminality across Lagos State.

The commissioner also urged members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information to the police through the command’s emergency lines.