In a move underscoring Nigeria’s expanding security collaboration, the Commander of the Mining Marshals, Assistant Commandant of Corps (ACC) John Onoja Attah, has joined top military and paramilitary officials at the Defence Headquarters Psychological Operations Workshop in Abuja.
The 2025 workshop, themed “Defence Headquarters Influence Operations: Optimizing Psychological Operations for Efficiency within a Joint Environment,” focused on enhancing coordination and strategic influence in joint operations, particularly in response to the country’s evolving security challenges.
ACC Attah, representing the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), described the initiative as “a strategically timely intervention.” He emphasized the growing importance of psychological operations in tackling threats such as illegal mining, which he said are increasingly linked to organized crime and terror financing.
“This workshop has significantly sharpened our strategic posture. In mining security and beyond, the ability to influence perceptions, manage narratives, and unify purpose across diverse commands is pivotal to mission success,” ACC Attah said.
He added that the training aligns with the strategic master plan of the NSCDC under the leadership of Commandant General Dr. Abubakar Ahmed Audi.
Organized by the Defence Headquarters, the workshop brought together senior officers and specialists in psychological warfare, strategic communication, and influence operations. Defence officials described the event as vital to building joint capacity across the Armed Forces and paramilitary agencies.
“Influence operations must evolve alongside modern warfare. In today’s battlespace, victory often begins in the mind,” said one senior military officer at the event.
The inclusion of officers from specialized commands like the Mining Marshals highlights a broader doctrinal shift, where resource protection and narrative control are increasingly recognized as central to national defence efforts.
The workshop ended with a joint commitment to deepen inter-agency collaboration and elevate psychological operations as a strategic tool in safeguarding Nigeria’s territorial integrity and internal stability.
