Every Nigerian Must Learn Combat Skills for Self-Defense — CDS Musa Sounds Alarm
Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, has raised the alarm, insisting that every Nigerian must acquire combat skills for survival in today’s dangerous world.
Speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, the defence chief stressed that self-defence should no longer be seen as optional but as essential as learning how to drive or swim.
“That one should be taken as learning driving, learning how to swim. Whether we have war or not, it is a survival instinct,” Musa declared.
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Drawing comparisons with Europe, where swimming is made compulsory, General Musa said Nigeria must begin to prioritise security awareness and basic combat training for all citizens. He lamented that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has been “watered down” to three weeks of orientation, instead of providing graduates with unarmed combat skills and survival techniques.
“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 of human endeavour. The world we are in now is dangerous,” the CDS warned.
He emphasised that Nigeria faces threats from individuals who “kill for whatever reason,” adding that personal preparedness is the best line of defence. According to him, security is the business of every Nigerian, and citizens must remain situationally aware to identify and neutralise suspicious persons around them.
General Musa’s remarks come amid rising insecurity concerns across the country, sparking conversations on whether basic combat training should be made compulsory for Nigerians as part of national survival strategies.
