Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.), has warned that Nigeria cannot defeat terrorism through military action alone, saying poverty, unemployment and poor governance must also be tackled.
Buratai spoke on Friday in Lagos during the launch of Beyond Military Force: A Strategy for Countering Terrorism in Nigeria. He said military operations were necessary but lasting peace required other measures, especially in the North-East and North-West.
“Military force, however professional, is a shield, not a substitute for governance. It can create the conditions for peace, but it cannot by itself build peace.
“It can degrade a terrorist group; it cannot alone remove the grievances of poverty, ignorance and manipulation from which such groups recruit,” he said.
He also called for better intelligence gathering and stronger trust between security agencies and local communities.
“No amount of firepower can compensate for poor intelligence. The community is often the best source of intelligence, but only when the community trusts the security agencies,” he stated.
Buratai warned that human rights abuses could push communities away from security agencies and help terrorist groups attract recruits. He said the Army introduced human rights desks and reviewed its rules of engagement during his tenure from 2015 to 2021.
He also called for stronger police capacity, regional security cooperation and poverty reduction in Northern Nigeria. He backed monitored rehabilitation programmes for former terrorists but stressed that victims must get justice.
