Why Army Is Involved In Spiritual Warfare- Brig. Gen Sagir Musa

The Nigerian Army is using “spiritual warfare” as a strategy to defeat the Boko Haram insurgency and offer counter narrative to those being pushed by the terrorists.

This is the explanation given by the Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Sagir Musa in a telephone interview with THE WHISTLER when asked why the Army has been speaking about spiritual warfare.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.General Tukur Buratai, has said repeatedly that the Army was engaged in spiritual warfare against insurgents.

At the recent decoration of 39 newly promoted major generals, he said ” I am glad that we held the spiritual warfare seminar and most of the decorated generals today are graduates of the spiritual warfare seminar” adding  “I must say that the spiritual warfare had helped us during the last #EndSARS protest to the extent that when there were no corpses, some persons were seeing ‘double’ and imaginary corpses at Lekki toll gate in Lagos state.”

But reacting to a question on what spiritual warfare means for the army, Brig Gen Musa said: “ By spiritual warfare, the Chief of Army Staff is just saying Imams, pastors and all religious leaders should understand that terrorism anywhere in the world, particularly Boko Haram in Nigeria, is about religious ideology. People are indoctrinated on a daily basis.

“What we are saying is that it is the responsibilities of the religious leadersto create counter narrative and educate their followers.

“The military authority enjoins both Christian and Muslim faithfuls to create counter narratives, educating their followers of the realistic religious ideologies, at the same time the religious leaders should continue to sensitize their followers and also put us in prayers for the peace of the nation”

Musa concluded that spiritual warfare is also prayers for success against insurgents, saying “spiritual warfare is an obvious war strategy”.