Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai (rtd), on Sunday warned that governors, ministers and other top political office holders could become targets of terrorists and bandits if Nigeria fails to radically change its approach to tackling insecurity.
Buratai said the recent capture, torture and killing of a senior military officer, Maj.-Gen. Rabe Abubakar, by non-state actors marked a dangerous turning point in the country’s security crisis.
In a statement titled, “A Frank and Patriotic Advice on Nigeria’s Escalating Security Crisis,” the former army chief said the incident signalled a serious erosion of tactical deterrence and should serve as a wake-up call to authorities.
He recalled that in 2021, he had warned that insurgency and banditry could persist for up to 20 years if decisive measures were not taken, lamenting that current developments appeared to be validating that prediction.
“When a general falls into the hands of non-state actors, it signals a serious erosion of tactical deterrence. If this trend continues unchecked, the next targets may not be soldiers or civilians alone. They could include ministers, senators and even state governors,” he said.
Buratai urged the Federal and State Governments to acknowledge the limitations of the current security strategy, noting that bandits and insurgents now operate with intelligence, heavy weaponry and audacity that rival conventional military forces.
He criticised the practice of negotiating with criminals and paying ransoms, insisting that the approach had failed to stem the tide of violence across affected parts of the country.
According to him, the government should launch a full-scale, coordinated military and intelligence offensive against terrorists and bandits, similar to successful operations carried out between 2015 and 2019.
The former army chief also proposed the establishment of a National Emergency Command with direct authority over all security agencies operating in high-risk states to eliminate bureaucratic delays and improve operational efficiency.
He said the proposed command structure should report directly to President Bola Tinubu and be given a clear, time-bound mandate to dismantle terrorist and bandit strongholds nationwide.
Buratai further called for intensified efforts to identify and prosecute financiers, informants and collaborators aiding criminal groups, stressing that bandits relied on networks of illegal miners, corrupt middlemen and ransom negotiators for survival.
“The cost of supporting terrorism should be made unbearable,” he stated, urging security agencies to dismantle the economic structures sustaining violent groups.
The retired general also challenged governors to take greater responsibility for security within their states by strengthening community intelligence systems, supporting vetted vigilante groups and promoting state policing initiatives.
While calling for enhanced protection of public officials through improved intelligence gathering and counter-ambush measures, Buratai maintained that the ultimate goal should be dismantling the criminal ecosystem that fuels insecurity.
Describing himself as a patriot with no political agenda, Buratai warned that unless urgent and far-reaching actions were taken, the nation could face even more devastating security threats, adding that the death of Maj.-Gen. Abubakar should be the “last preventable sacrifice.”
Credit: thenationonlineng.net
