By Abubakar Ojima-ojo
Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (rtd), has said Nigerian soldiers now earn a minimum monthly salary of N100,000 following a recent review of their welfare by the Federal Government.
Meanwhile, the Senate has approved N403.1 billion for theNigerian Police Trust Fund to strengthen policing and support the fight against security challenges nationwide for two consecutive years.
This was as President Bola Tinubu forwarded a landmark criminal justice reform bill to the Senate, seeking the repeal of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015 and its replacement with a new Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2026, aimed at addressing long-standing challenges in Nigeria’s criminal justice system.
Senator Ali Ndume, yesterday, threw his weight behind the Federal Government’s hard-line approach against terrorism and banditry, declaring that sustained military pressure, not negotiations or concessions, remained the surest path to ending insecurity in Nigeria.
Musa, in an interview on News Central on Wednesday, said the military remained underfunded despite the improvement in personnel welfare.
On whether the present defence budget was adequate, the former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) said, “It is not enough,” adding that the Federal Government had significantly improved soldiers’ salaries.
“When they started, a soldier was collecting N49,000 monthly (as minimum wage). We tried so hard, now he’s collecting N100,000,” he said.
He advocated the introduction of the death penalty for kidnappers, saying stiffer punishment was needed to curb the growing wave of abductions across the country.
THE red chamber approved N170.1 billion for the Police Trust Fund’s 2025 fiscal year, and N233 billion for 2026.
The approved 2026 budget covers personnel costs, capital projects, and overhead expenditures to enhance the operational capacity of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
Lawmakers expressed optimism that the funding would improve the provision of critical equipment, infrastructure, training and other resources needed to bolster security operations and address the country’s growing security concerns.
TINUBU’S request was conveyed in a letter read on the Senate floor yesterday by Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
In the letter, the President explained that the proposed legislation was designed to strengthen the administration of criminal justice in the courts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and other federal courts across the country, while establishing a more effective Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Council to improve compliance and coordination.
According to the President, the bill seeks to enhance the efficiency of criminal justice institutions, ensure speedy trials, protect society from crime, and safeguard the rights of suspects, defendants and victims.
AFTER a meeting with Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the Borno South senator endorsed the position of Musa, who repeatedly ruled out negotiations or ransom payments to terrorists and bandits, insisting that those who aid criminal groups should be treated as accomplices.
Ndume argued that recent military successes across the country demonstrate that insurgent groups were steadily losing ground under sustained offensives by the Armed Forces.
“If the tempo is sustained, I am sure this thing will come to an end,” he told journalists.
The lawmaker cited the elimination of key terrorist leaders, the surrender of many commanders and improved security in parts of the North-East and South-East as evidence that the military strategy is yielding results.
The senator’s remarks reinforce the Defence minister’s recent insistence that the government will neither negotiate with terrorists nor tolerate ransom payments, arguing that such concessions embolden criminal groups, enable them to regroup and prolong insecurity.
