₦airaland Forum

Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has called on Nigerians to acquire combat skills to protect themselves amid rising security concerns.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Musa compared learning martial arts like Karate, Taekwondo, and Judo to essential survival skills such as driving and swimming.

“Learning combat skills should be seen as a survival instinct, like swimming or driving,” Musa said, emphasising their importance regardless of whether the country is at war.

He noted that in some countries, such skills are mandatory.

“In Europe, swimming is compulsory. Learning and teaching about security (is compulsory) because you have to learn what security is.”

The CDS proposed that the National Youth Service Corps should incorporate unarmed combat training into its programme to equip graduates with survival skills against threats.

“The NYSC has been reduced to three weeks, but it should focus on training youths in self-defence,” he said, lamenting the programme’s current limitations.

Musa stressed that self-defence, situational awareness, and skills like swimming and driving are vital for navigating today’s “dangerous world,” where individuals with malicious intent pose constant risks.

“I think it is important that we are able to give every Nigerian security awareness at whatever level. Self-defence is very important. Unarmed combat. Swimming. Driving. These are critical aspects for human endeavours.

“These are things we should never take for granted because they prepare you for the future. The world we are in now is dangerous. We have individuals who don’t mean people well. They kill for whatever reason.”

He urged all Nigerians to take responsibility for their security by staying vigilant and identifying suspicious activities in their surroundings.

Racoon:
This statement reeks of gross incompetency and failure from the army. It also proves it complicit in the deteriorating insecurity ravaging this nation helplessly.

People to protect themselves with self defense skills? Is that how your forefathers did theirs? Why not armed everyone with AK-47 rifles or automatic assault weapons like the ones bandits, fulanis jihadists and BH terrorists parade live?

Same self defense the Nigerian army have criminalized in preventing Plateau and Benue people from defending themselves? Killers killed people and got free, but people get cutlass, Dane guns to protect themselves are termed terrorists and demonized

iwaeda:
What a funny country, this is Chief of Defence Staff telling us to learn combat skills, but when Edo and Plateau applied same they were arrested. Let's all go to Agbede (Blacksmiths) to start producing dane guns. Truth is that insecurity is still prevalent.

Racoon:
My brother this country is full of incredibly senseless people in position of authority.

Greenback:
Stupid talk...do you learn combat skills to tackle bandits armed to the teeth?
I'm even hearing it right now on 92.7 news

Do your job and the menace will be tackled.

People who even arm themselves to tackle these killers are arrested and prosecuted like Sunday Igboho and Nnamdi Kanu