Former Chief of Army Staff (CAS), Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.), has said that Nigeria’s insecurity challenges are rooted more in politics than military shortcomings, stressing that the armed forces alone cannot bring lasting peace.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, Buratai explained that addressing insecurity requires a comprehensive strategy that combines political, economic, and social interventions with military operations.
“The military is just one aspect of national security,” he said. “You cannot rely 100 per cent on the armed forces to solve insecurity. There are underlying political and social causes that must be addressed. In fact, this insecurity started through political actors, making it essentially a political problem that has been left for the military to handle.”
He noted that successive governments have allocated resources to fight insecurity, but without tackling root causes, the cycle of violence will persist.
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Buratai also dismissed suggestions that the military is stalling progress, insisting the armed forces remain “a solution, not the problem.” He called on Nigerians to rally behind troops on the frontline instead of demoralising them.
“Any soldier on the field, holding a weapon to defend Nigerians against adversaries, is vital,” he said. “If you demoralise or despise him, you endanger his life, his family, and the lives of millions of Nigerians. That is why full support for the military is essential.”
Buratai concluded by urging a total review of Nigeria’s security framework to ensure political actors, institutions, and communities play their part in ending the country’s insecurity crisis.
