Defence Minister Says Nigerian Soldiers Are Tired, Need Rest

Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, has disclosed that Nigerian military personnel are exhausted from prolonged deployments across the country and need time to rest after years of fighting insecurity.

Musa made this known while speaking about the security challenges facing Nigeria, noting that many soldiers had spent extended periods away from their families because of their assignments.

The Defence Minister explained that some military personnel could remain in one location for as long as two years before being transferred to another area, including regions in the North-West where security operations are ongoing.

He said the demanding nature of their duties had made it difficult for some soldiers to spend time with their families, adding that many of them rarely get the opportunity to go on holidays.

According to Musa, the soldiers were not enjoying the prolonged deployments but continued to carry out their responsibilities because of the need to protect the country and tackle insecurity.

He said the military was working towards strengthening the Nigeria Police Force so that officers could take greater responsibility for internal security operations.

The minister explained that efforts were being made to improve the capacity of the police through better recruitment and other measures that would enable them to perform their duties effectively.

Musa expressed hope that once the police became better equipped and capable of handling internal security challenges, the military would gradually withdraw from such operations and return to the barracks.

He maintained that the military needed an opportunity to rest after spending extended periods responding to security threats in different parts of the country.

The minister added that soldiers had made considerable sacrifices in the discharge of their duties, including spending long periods without seeing their loved ones.