Insecurity: FG to deploy military retirees to secure ungoverned spaces

The Federal Government has announced plans to deploy military veterans to help secure Nigeria’s vast ungoverned spaces, as part of efforts to strengthen national security, promote economic activities and stabilise conflict-affected areas across the country.

The plan was unveiled on Tuesday with the inauguration of an 18-member committee by Christopher Musa, Minister of Defence, charged with reclaiming ungoverned spaces for economic viability and repositioning the Nigerian Legion Corps of Commissionaires and Veterans.

A statement issued on Wednesday by Enderline Chukwu, Deputy Director of Information at the Ministry of Defence,  on behalf of the Director of Information and Public Relations, said the committee was inaugurated at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.

The Minister of Defence was represented at the event by Richard Pheelangwa, Permanent Secretary of the ministry.

Musa said the deployment of military veterans into ungoverned spaces would complement ongoing security operations by bringing experienced and disciplined personnel into local security and development efforts, particularly in areas where government presence remains weak.

He explained that the initiative marks a strategic shift from an over-reliance on conventional military offensives to a more inclusive and sustainable security approach that addresses the socio-economic roots of insecurity.

According to the minister, the committee was established as part of a renewed effort by the Federal Government to strengthen veterans’ welfare while ensuring their active participation in safeguarding national security and supporting economic development.

He outlined the committee’s three key terms of reference, which include repositioning the veteran community to support national economic development, deploying veterans to secure ungoverned spaces and bring such areas under effective oversight and development, and repositioning the Nigerian Legion Corps of Commissionaires to strengthen its operational effectiveness, facilitate veterans’ reintegration and enhance their contribution to national security.

Musa stressed that the initiative aligns with the government’s commitment to ensuring that veterans who served the nation with honour are empowered to live productive and dignified lives after retirement, while continuing to contribute meaningfully to national stability.

“The deliberate integration of veterans into security and development initiatives would enhance local ownership of security efforts, improve intelligence gathering at the grassroots level and foster trust between communities and the state”, he noted.

The defence minister urged members of the committee to adopt innovative and forward-looking approaches that would produce practical and actionable recommendations capable of supporting a holistic strategy for reclaiming ungoverned spaces, promoting inclusive growth and sustaining peace across the country.

The committee is made up of representatives from the Joint Services Department of the Ministry of Defence, the Nigerian Legion, Defence Headquarters, the Defence Intelligence Agency, the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force, as well as the offices of the Minister of Defence and the Minister of State for Defence.

In recent years, there have been increasing calls for the integration of retired military personnel into Nigeria’s security architecture as a way of reducing the heavy operational burden on serving personnel who are overstretched by multiple internal security deployments nationwide.