Recruiting 24,000 Soldiers Won’t Save Nigeria, Rather Weaponize the Army, Not the Population

The announcement by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, to recruit and train 24,000 fresh soldiers may sound like a bold move. But the brutal truth remains unchanged: Nigeria is not losing the war against terrorists because of a shortage of soldiers. We are losing because we have refused to match modern threats with modern firepower.

In simple terms, headcount is not our problem, firepower is. And no matter how many young men march into the military, they will remain exposed, vulnerable, and outgunned until Nigeria stops sending its bravest to face monsters with bare hands.

For years, Nigerian troops have been dragged into battlefields where the enemy is not just determined, but dangerously better equipped. These are not rag-tag militants carrying dane guns or machetes. These are insurgent groups wielding cutting‑edge weaponry that can shred armoured vehicles, blow up convoys, and down military aircraft.

Among the sophisticated weapons commonly used by Boko Haram, ISWAP, and bandit-terrorists are:

A. Highly Sophisticated Weapons Used by Terrorists in Nigeria

B. PKT and PKM General-Purpose Machine Guns (rapid-fire, high penetration)

C. DShK 12.7mm Heavy Machine Guns (capable of tearing through soft-skinned vehicles)

D. RPG‑7 Anti‑Tank Rocket Launchers

E. ZSU-23‑4 Anti‑Aircraft Cannons (repurposed as anti-ground rapid fire weapons)

F. FN MAG Machine Guns

G. Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) with remote detonation technology

H. Anti‑Aircraft Guns mounted on Hilux trucks (“technical vehicles”)

I. Mortars and Grenade Launchers

J. AK‑103 and AK‑47 variants with precision scopes

K. Armour‑piercing ammunition and belt-fed systems

These are not speculative. These are weapons repeatedly captured, displayed, or documented by military intelligence and international security analysts.

So the question becomes: How can a reasonable soldier withstand such weapons with outdated rifles, insufficient armour, unreliable communication tools, and vehicles that fail within minutes of engagement?

That is why the street wisdom applies here: “When weapon jam weapon, weapon go hide.” Meaning “If you don’t match the enemy’s firepower, you don’t stand a chance.” It’s that simple.

Nigerian troops have proven courage beyond measure. What they lack is not bravery, patriotism, or manpower. They lack:

i. modern surveillance drones,

ii. thermal imaging for night combat,

iii. upgraded armoured personnel carriers,

iv. long-range sniper systems,

v. battlefield communication tools,

vi. tactical helicopters with offensive capabilities.

Insurgents are not afraid of Nigerian troops, they are afraid of superior firepower. But Nigeria has refused to give its soldiers that advantage.

So, Recruiting 24,000 men into an under-armed military is not a solution.

It is an expansion of vulnerability.

In the olden days, wars were not fought by population size alone. Yes, warriors carried spears, arrows, and cutlasses. But the real secret was fortification, spiritual, medicinal, and psychological.

Ancient warriors were fortified to:

i. fear nothing,

ii. resist ordinary weapons,

iii. strengthen their minds and bodies against shock,

iv. enhance strategic intuition,

v. sustain longer in battle.

The result?

Even with inferior weapons, they won wars.

Today, we have abandoned psychological and spiritual fortification, ignoring the reality that wars are not just physical, they are deeply psychological. Modern armies understand this. That is why they invest heavily in:

A. mental conditioning,

B. ideological strengthening,

C. morale-building exercises,

D. internal psychological warfare,

E. resilience training.

But in Nigeria, we treat soldiers as numbers, not as assets requiring full-spectrum conditioning.

If our ancestors, with their primitive tools, understood the value of fortification, how can a modern Army facing drones, IEDs, rocket launchers, and anti-aircraft guns refuse to integrate psychological, technological, and where appropriate, spiritual fortification?

Nigeria does not need more soldiers.

Nigeria needs more equipped soldiers.

We need:

1. Weapon supremacy,

2. Technological advantage,

3. Armoured dominance,

4. Aerial superiority,

5. Intelligence integration,

6. Psychological and spiritual resilience frameworks,

7. Better logistics,

8. Better welfare,

9. Better leadership,

10. Better battlefield doctrines.

Recruiting 24,000 young men into a fight where the enemy has more firepower, more mobility, and better morale is not strategy, it is national carelessness.

If Nigeria truly wants to defeat insurgents, bandits, and terrorists, the answer is painfully clear:

1. Weaponise the soldier before recruiting more soldiers.

2. Fortify the spirit before increasing the number of bodies.

3. Match fire with superior fire.

Because when weapon jam weapon, weapon go hide.

4. No soldier should be sent to war with prayers alone.

5. No soldier should be sent to war with outdated weapons.

6. No soldier should be sent to war where the enemy is better armed.

7. Until Nigeria accepts this truth, the cycle will continue regardless of whether we recruit 24,000 or 240,000.

@𝑻𝒉𝒆𝑲𝑬𝑳𝑽𝑰𝑵𝑨𝑻𝑶𝑹 …✍🏼

(𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗘𝗬𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗥)