Broken Families Fueling Nigeria’s Insecurity, Says Defence Chief Musa

Jaji, Kaduna State — Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, has sounded a powerful alarm over the growing link between family breakdown and national insecurity, insisting that the fight against violence, crime, and instability must begin at home.

Speaking on Thursday during the closing ceremony of the 2025 edition of Exercise Haske Biyu at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, Gen. Musa declared that family values, discipline, and unity are not just private matters but pillars of Nigeria’s internal security architecture.

> “The family is the bedrock of every community. Without the family, there can’t be a good community. What we have realised is that because the family system is failing, insecurity is growing,” the Defence Chief stated emphatically.
“If we address family issues, insecurity will reduce significantly.”

Security Begins at Home

Gen. Musa, who described this year’s theme — “Family and National Security” — as both timely and strategic, argued that crime, radicalisation, and social unrest often thrive where families fail in their responsibility to instill discipline, love, and respect for others.

He warned that Nigerians must not lose sight of why families are structured: “That is why you have regulations. That is how people grow up to understand what it is to be human, what it is to respect one another and to love one another.”

According to him, strong families translate to strong communities, while broken homes breed fractured societies where insecurity festers.

The Defence Chief stressed that peace and stability cannot rest solely on the shoulders of the military and security agencies. Instead, he urged Nigerians to rebuild family bonds and embrace collective responsibility:
“If families are united, then we are our brothers’ keepers and will not allow harm to come to anyone. That is the Nigeria we must build.”

Highlighting the significance of the event, Gen. Musa praised the attendance of Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, at the opening session, describing her keynote address as a reminder that nation-building is both a civic and moral duty. Her participation, he said, underscored the need for a whole-of-society approach to security.

The Commandant of AFCSC, Air Vice Marshal Hassan Alhaji, reinforced the Defence Chief’s message, stressing that strong families are incubators of morality, discipline, and patriotism, while weak ones provide fertile ground for extremism, disunity, and lawlessness.

He explained that Exercise Haske Biyu 2025 challenged participants to craft practical strategies for addressing Nigeria’s internal security threats, adding that next year’s edition would expand its scope to include wider government participation and voices from people living with disabilities.

The CDS also used the occasion to inaugurate the remodeled Staff Duties Wing, a facility he said will further enhance the college’s reputation for producing world-class officers and strengthening global security partnerships.

A Call Beyond the Barracks

The message from Jaji was clear: Nigeria’s insecurity cannot be tackled by guns and boots alone. It must begin with the restoration of family values, discipline, and unity — the unseen armour that shields a nation from collapse.