Stakeholders condemns attacks on Defence Chief

From: Femi Oyelola in Kaduna

Stakeholders across civil society, religious institutions, and security advocacy groups have condemned a recent publication by Emmanuel Onwubiko targeting the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Gwabin Musa, describing it as a dangerous cocktail of misinformation, ethnic prejudice, and propaganda capable of undermining national security.

The article, titled “Oga CDS, You Failed in Two Years”, which has circulated widely on digital platforms, drew sharp criticism from the Citizens Network for National Security (CNNS) and allied groups, who described it as a deliberate attempt to misrepresent the achievements of the CDS and weaken the morale of Nigeria’s armed forces.

Speaking on behalf of the Tinubu-Uba Leadership Network (TULN) and CNNS, Hon. Victor Mathew Bobai, Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to the Kaduna State Governor, described the article as “a calculated effort to delegitimise the patriotic contributions of a tested and committed officer in the fight against insecurity.”

Bobai, who hails from the same Southern Kaduna region as the Defence Chief, warned that the article’s framing betrayed a pattern of selective outrage and ethnic profiling.

He noted that the author’s known associations with foreign-based agitators under investigation for subversive activities should concern all Nigerians.

“This is not constructive criticism. It is a deliberate attempt to embolden the narratives of individuals with anti-state motives. The persistent targeting of Northern military officers raises critical questions about the motivations behind these attacks,” Bobai said.

Clerics and civil society leaders also joined in the condemnation. Rev. Fr. Mike Lawrence of the Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC) cautioned against weaponising journalism to attack individuals serving at the frontlines of national defence.

He acknowledged that while no public official is beyond scrutiny, the Defence Chief’s record reflects a notable impact in national security coordination and operational reforms.

In the same vein, Kaduna-based Islamic cleric and CNNS member, Imam Yunusa Ibrahim Kareem, emphasised that national security should not be reduced to polemics.

He cited the successful rescue of over 13,000 kidnapped citizens, the dismantling of multiple terror camps, and the rollout of internationally recognised deradicalisation models as part of General Musa’s legacy.