Buratai Warns Nigeria’s Insecurity May Soon Threaten Governors, Ministers & Senators

Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.), has warned that Nigeria’s worsening insecurity could soon extend to top political office holders, including ministers, senators and state governors, if urgent action is not taken.

He made the statement on Sunday while reacting to the killing of retired Major General Abubakar Rabe by bandits, describing the incident as a dangerous escalation in the country’s security crisis.

“If this trend continues unchecked, the next targets may include ministers, senators and even state governors, as no leader will be immune,” Buratai said.

The former army chief said the killing of a senior military officer marks a troubling new phase in Nigeria’s insecurity challenges, noting that he had earlier warned in 2021 that insurgency and banditry would persist without decisive intervention.

“Today, the nation is witnessing the grim reality of that warning, as the capture, torture and killing of a senior officer represents a dangerous threshold,” he said.

Buratai stated that armed groups are now more coordinated, better equipped and increasingly emboldened, which he said poses a serious threat to national stability.

He criticized the use of ransom payments and negotiations with criminal groups, insisting that such approaches only strengthen the perpetrators and prolong the crisis.

“The current reactive approach of paying ransoms and negotiating with criminals must stop, and what is needed now is a full-scale coordinated military and intelligence offensive,” he said.

He called for the establishment of a unified security command structure with direct authority over security operations in high-risk areas to improve efficiency and response time.

Buratai also urged authorities to target the wider support networks behind banditry, including illegal miners, ransom facilitators and local collaborators who enable criminal activities.

“Bandits do not operate alone, as they depend on networks of collaborators and financiers who must be identified, arrested and prosecuted to make the cost of supporting terrorism unbearable,” he said.

He concluded that only a coordinated national strategy involving all security institutions can effectively address the worsening insecurity and restore public confidence in government protection.

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