CDS Urges Nigerian Military to Deploy AI, Advanced Surveillance Against Insecurity

Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Olufemi Oluyede has called on the Nigerian military to deploy artificial intelligence and advanced surveillance systems more extensively in operations against insurgents, terrorists and bandits across the country.

Oluyede said the Armed Forces needed to strengthen their use of emerging technologies to improve intelligence gathering, monitor threats and support commanders during military operations.

The CDS made the call amid continuing security operations across the North-East, North-West and other parts of the country where troops are confronting armed groups and operating in difficult terrain.

He said the expanded use of technology should form part of efforts to strengthen the military’s operational capacity, particularly in intelligence and surveillance.

Defence Minister Christopher Musa has also advocated greater adoption of artificial intelligence, unmanned systems, surveillance, reconnaissance and cyber capabilities within Nigeria’s defence architecture.

The push comes as troops remain deployed across forests, rural communities and border areas where terrain and distance can complicate military operations.

Timely intelligence is central to decisions on troop deployment, patrols and reconnaissance. Information on the movement and activities of armed groups must be collected, assessed and passed through command structures before it can support action in the field.

That makes the integration of surveillance capabilities into the military’s existing intelligence system an important operational consideration. Information gathered through technology must reach commanders securely and quickly enough to influence decisions.

The requirements extend beyond procurement. Units operating in remote areas need trained personnel, technical support, maintenance capacity and dependable communications to keep equipment functioning during sustained deployments.

Human intelligence and reports from troops on the ground will remain part of the assessment process. Commanders need to compare information from different sources, particularly in areas where armed groups are mobile and operating across difficult terrain.

Coordination with other security agencies will also remain important. Military operations frequently overlap with police and intelligence activities, especially where armed groups move between communities and administrative boundaries.

Nigeria’s security theatres present different operational demands. Counter-insurgency operations in the North-East differ from campaigns against bandit groups in the North-West, while other regions face separate security threats.

The Armed Forces will therefore need to integrate the new capabilities into the specific intelligence and command requirements of each theatre, rather than apply a uniform operational model.

The immediate task is to turn the directive into field capability by equipping relevant units, training personnel, maintaining the systems and ensuring actionable intelligence reaches commanders without unnecessary delays.

Troops operating in exposed areas need reliable information before moving into potentially hostile territory. Better intelligence can inform deployment decisions, patrol planning and reconnaissance, while reducing gaps between information gathered in the field and decisions made at command level.

Oluyede’s call puts intelligence capability at the centre of the military’s technology agenda. The operational test will be whether the Armed Forces can connect surveillance, intelligence assessment and command decisions closely enough to give troops a clearer picture of threats before they move into harm’s way.