Insecurity in Nigeria is ‘political’, shouldn’t be left for military alone – Ex-Army chief

By Ayobami Okerinde

A former Chief of Army Staff (CAS), Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.), says insecurity in Nigeria is largely a political problem and cannot be resolved by the military alone.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, Buratai argued that tackling insecurity requires a holistic approach involving political, economic, and social interventions, alongside military operations.

He said, “The military is just one aspect of the overall national activity. We must get it very clear that apart from the military, we have the economic, social, and political lines. And we can see that from all indications the political line is that there’s no government present or in the past that does not want insecurity to be nipped or addressed properly, and resources have been earmarked and released for such.

“But you need to make sure that the social aspect and the underlying causes are all addressed. It’s not just a matter of relying completely, 100 per cent, on the military to solve the entire security challenges. There’s an underlying cause.

“It was started through some political actors, and it was essentially a political issue. This insecurity is essentially political. And now it’s been left to the military, and the political actors are staying behind.

“So, this is something that is needed for a total review of the security aspect in terms of political associations or political involvement and so on.”

Buratai also dismissed claims that the military is hindering progress in the fight against insecurity, insisting they remain “a solution, not the problem.” He urged Nigerians to support troops in the field, warning against actions that could demoralise soldiers risking their lives.

“We cannot continuously see the military as a problem to solving insecurity. They are the solution, one aspect of the solution. And they will play their role very well if they have good support,” he said.

“Any soldier that is on the field holding a weapon and standing before or in between himself and the people of Nigeria with the adversary is very important.

“You cannot demoralise him; if you demoralise him, or you despise him, or you make things difficult for him, then you are endangering his life and that of his family, and you are endangering the lives of the whole of Nigerians.”

“That is why we need to give them complete support to make sure they succeed on the field.”

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