FG Deploys Military Retirees to Secure Ungoverned Spaces

By: Abudu Olalekan

They’re not done yet.

Just ‘cause they hung up the uniform don’t mean they’re outta the fight. Nope. Nigeria’s got a new plan — and it’s got grey hair, battle scars, and zero tolerance for nonsense.

The Federal Government? Yeah, they’re calling up the old guard. Military retirees. Veterans. The ones who’ve seen it all — from Boko Haram hideouts to bandit dens in the northwest. And now? They’re being handed a fresh mission: securing Nigeria’s “ungoverned spaces.”

What’s an ungoverned space, you ask?

Think villages with no police. Forests where law don’t reach. Border towns forgotten by maps. Places where criminals throw parties — and nobody RSVPs “no.” Until now.

Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.) — Defence Minister, former soldier, now strategist — dropped the hammer this week. Inaugurated an 18-member committee. Task? Simple: get those spaces back under control. Make ‘em safe. Then make ‘em work — economically, socially, sustainably.

Committee met Tuesday in Abuja. Musa didn’t show in person — Permanent Secretary Richard Pheelangwa stood in. But his message? Crystal clear.

“We ain’t just fighting bullets anymore,” he said (paraphrased, but you get the vibe). “We fight poverty. We fight neglect. We fight the feeling that the state forgot you.”

So how’s it gonna work?

Veterans — trained, disciplined, local-knowledge-packed — will be deployed into these ghost zones. Not as invaders. As stabilizers. As bridge-builders. They’ll work with communities. Gather intel. Set up watch systems. Maybe even help restart farms, markets, schools. Security + development. Two birds, one stone.

Musa laid out three marching orders for the committee:

Reposition veterans so they can actually do stuff for the economy — not just collect pensions.
Deploy ‘em into ungoverned zones — boots on forgotten ground.
Fix the Nigerian Legion Corps of Commissionaires — make it matter again. Help vets reintegrate. Give ‘em purpose.
Smart? Hell yeah.

You ever notice how serving troops are stretched thinner than garri during harmattan? Deployed everywhere. Tired. Overworked. This move? Takes pressure off ‘em. Lets the pros handle active combat — while the legends handle community security.

And here’s the kicker: trust.

Locals don’t always trust soldiers in armored trucks. But Mr. Ade from down the road? Retired Major who used to patrol this same bush 20 years ago? Who knows Auntie Bisi and her yam stall? That guy? They’ll talk to him. Tip him off. Walk with him.

That’s intelligence you can’t buy. Can’t drone. Can’t hack.

Committee’s stacked too — folks from Army, Navy, Air Force, Defence HQ, even the Defence Intelligence Agency. Plus reps from the Nigerian Legion. No amateurs here. All heavyweights.

Before now? People been whispering about this idea for years. “Use the retirees!” “They know the terrain!” “They ain’t scared!” But whispers don’t change policy. Musa? He turned whispers into action.

If this sticks — if it’s funded, supported, not buried in bureaucracy — we could see real change.

Fewer kidnappings. Less cattle rustling. Bandits? Might start looking for easier targets. Communities? Might start believing the government hasn’t abandoned them.

Also — let’s be real — it gives veterans something meaningful to do. No more sitting home watching Nollywood reruns while their skills rust. They served Nigeria once. Now? They get to serve again — on their own terms.

Musa put it best: “This isn’t charity. It’s strategy.”

Veterans bring local ownership. Better intel. Community trust. Economic revival potential. All wrapped in one.

He told the committee: “Don’t give me fluff. Give me plans I can use. Forward-looking. Practical. Actionable.”

No pressure, right?

But hey — these are the same folks who survived Sallah operations with half a ration pack and a faulty radio. They got this.

Bottom line? Nigeria’s trying something new. Something human. Something that smells less like paperwork and more like progress.

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