Defence Minister Advocates Enhanced LG Participation in Security Architecture

In an interview monitored by Persecondnews on Arise Television this Friday, the Minister asserted that local government councils must assume greater responsibility in crime prevention to avert larger security threats.

 He further noted that safeguarding the nation cannot be achieved exclusively by federal entities, highlighting the indispensable role of community-based early warning and response systems.

Musa argued that many criminal activities begin at the local level and go unchecked due to the absence of effective local government intervention and community coordination.

“Our local governments must be up and doing because crime is local. If local governments are working, they will be able to tackle these things within their own area before it gets to the state, before it gets to the federal,” he said.

He maintained that strengthening grassroots institutions would significantly improve Nigeria’s ability to detect, prevent and respond to insecurity before it spreads across states.

Musa further stressed the need for a more integrated security framework that includes traditional institutions, community leaders and local authorities working in partnership with security agencies.

“A coordinated ‘whole-of-society approach’ remains necessary, where traditional institutions, community leaders and local authorities work alongside security agencies,” Persecondnews quotes him as saying.

He explained that such collaboration would strengthen intelligence gathering, improve trust at the community level and enhance early detection of threats before they escalate.

The defence minister also noted that sustainable security cannot be achieved through military operations alone, adding that insecurity often begins with small-scale crimes that grow when local systems fail to respond promptly.

According to him, building effective community based security structures remains essential to reducing pressure on national forces and improving early intervention at the grassroots level.

“When local structures fail to function, security pressure is shifted upwards to overstretched state and federal agencies, making coordinated response more difficult and slower.”