OPINION: Nigeria Must Stop Turning Security Into Public Commentary  - Abidemi Adebamiwa

By: Abidemi Adebamiwa

I recently went back to listen to a convocation speech I first heard as a student at Liberty University. At the time, Donald Trump was only a presidential aspirant when he delivered it. He later returned as my graduation speaker as president, which made his earlier message feel even more relevant when I revisited it. As someone with a degree in Strategic Intelligence, I learned that most intelligence already comes from open sources, which is why careless public comments are so dangerous.

Trump questioned why generals appeared on television to explain ongoing operations.

He argued that presidents should never announce troop deployments before they happen. He insisted that countries protect themselves by preserving operational silence at the highest levels. This discipline is exactly what Nigeria has struggled to maintain.

A presidential spokesperson recently went on television to claim that bandits and terrorists are difficult to track because they use Starlink. The immediate concern is how he even knew that, because such details come from privileged intelligence and demand strict protection. The deeper problem is why this information was broadcast publicly for criminals to study and exploit. Open-source intelligence already helps adversaries gather clues and loose official statements simply complete the picture.

Nigeria has also developed a pattern of announcing the movement of senior defence officials to conflict zones. Serving and retired officers frequently appear on television to discuss security operations in broad terms, often with a level of detail that raises concerns about how much hostile groups can learn just by watching. The military must also stop recording and broadcasting videos that reveal where they are, what mission they are on or what operation they have just done.

A nation facing complex threats cannot afford to hand out intelligence through public communication.

Nigeria must return to disciplined, quiet security management. Sensitive information must never become political content or broadcast material. Our military and security institutions need space to operate without advertising weaknesses or intentions. Real security comes from silence, strategy and results.

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Abidemi is a policy analyst with a degree in Strategic Intelligence and Managing Editor @ Newspot Nigeria.

This Opinion Article which first sppeared in Newsport was culled with full credits on account of its to national security.