Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.), has urged the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on poverty in Northern Nigeria, saying addressing the socio-economic challenges in the region is crucial to ending terrorism and insecurity.
Buratai argued that military operations alone would not defeat terrorism unless the government tackled poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, poor governance and other conditions that expose vulnerable young people to extremist recruitment.
He made the appeal on Friday in Lagos during the presentation of a book titled Beyond Military Force: A Strategy for Countering Terrorism in Nigeria, written by a Professor of Peace, Criminology and Security Studies at Chrisland University, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Dr Joan Ugo Mbagwu.
The retired general, who attended the event as Guest of Honour, described the publication as a significant intellectual contribution to Nigeria’s counter-terrorism efforts, stressing the need for the country to adopt approaches beyond its traditional reliance on military force.
According to him, lasting peace would remain difficult to achieve without good governance, economic opportunities, community participation and regional cooperation.
He said, “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.”
Buratai, who served as Chief of Army Staff from 2015 to 2021, noted that the security situation in the North-East and North-West required coordinated military and non-military responses.
He identified intelligence gathering as a major element of successful counter-insurgency operations, emphasising that security agencies must build trust with local communities to obtain reliable information.
“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 said.
The former army chief cautioned that security operations that disregard human rights could erode public confidence and provide terrorist groups with propaganda opportunities to attract new recruits.
He said, “We must understand that the way security operations are conducted is as important as the operations themselves. When communities are alienated, the security agencies lose the cooperation they need to succeed.”
He disclosed that the Nigerian Army introduced revised rules of engagement, human rights desks and other accountability measures during his tenure to strengthen professionalism and ensure compliance with established standards.
Buratai also called for improved counter-terrorism capabilities within the Nigeria Police Force, warning against the continued deployment of the military to handle responsibilities meant for civilian security institutions.
“The military is not the police; it is not the social welfare agency; it is not the school system. When the military is deployed to perform tasks that belong to civil authorities, it becomes overstretched, and the roots of the conflict remain untouched,” he stated.
On the rehabilitation and reintegration of former terrorists, he backed credible deradicalisation initiatives but insisted that the interests of victims and affected communities must not be overlooked.
He said, “Rehabilitation and reintegration are important, but we must not forget the victims. Communities affected by terrorism must be reassured that justice has been served.”
He further maintained that such programmes must be transparent, adequately supervised and structured to earn the confidence and cooperation of communities affected by terrorism.
Drawing on his experience as commander of the Multinational Joint Task Force, headquartered in N’Djamena, Chad, Buratai advocated stronger regional security partnerships, noting that groups such as Boko Haram and its affiliates operated across national borders.
He said, “Terrorism does not respect national boundaries. Therefore, our response must also go beyond national boundaries. We need stronger cooperation among countries sharing common security challenges.”
He urged Nigeria to deepen its security partnerships through the Economic Community of West African States, the African Union and countries in the Lake Chad Basin.
Explaining his proposal for a poverty emergency in Northern Nigeria, Buratai said priority should be given to addressing the number of out-of-school children, reforming the Almajiri system, creating employment opportunities for youths, expanding vocational training and strengthening social protection.
He warned, however, that poverty alleviation initiatives must be protected from political interference and the manipulation of influential individuals seeking personal benefits.
“Poverty is not an excuse for terrorism, but it is a fertile ground for recruitment and manipulation. We must treat it with the seriousness it deserves,” he said.
Providing details of the research underpinning the book, Buratai said field surveys were conducted in Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Kano, Kebbi, Kogi and Niger states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
He disclosed that 86 per cent of respondents considered negotiation potentially useful in tackling terrorism, while 92 per cent believed community members could play significant roles in intelligence gathering.
He added that 84 per cent of respondents associated terrorist recruitment with unfavourable economic conditions and the Almajiri situation.
Buratai said the findings reinforced the need for a comprehensive approach to counter-terrorism, noting that military successes alone could not guarantee lasting peace without public trust and legitimacy.
Earlier, the author, Mbagwu, explained that she wrote the book to question the conventional counter-terrorism strategy, which she said placed too much emphasis on military operations.
She said, “We cannot continue to look at terrorism only from the perspective of military force. We must also examine the conditions that allow terrorism to thrive and the factors that make individuals vulnerable to extremist ideologies.”
The book was formally unveiled by retired Major General R.O. Yusuf.
The Chairman of the occasion, Olubunmi Ajala, also praised Buratai’s contributions to security matters, describing the publication as timely given the country’s prevailing security challenges.
The event also featured the presentation of an award of appreciation to the former army chief in recognition of his contributions to the fight against terrorism during his tenure.
