Former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai (Rtd), has questioned the inability of security agencies to track down bandits in their hideouts, contrasting it with their ability to swiftly locate ordinary citizens and social media influencers.
Speaking during an appearance on TVC, Buratai addressed growing public frustration over the impunity of criminal gangs, some of whom openly flaunt ransom payments and proceeds of crime on social media. He challenged the notion that such groups are difficult to trace, arguing that the intelligence and tracking capabilities used to apprehend civilians should also be deployed against bandits.
During the interview, Buratai was reminded that many Nigerians are angered by the apparent impunity enjoyed by bandits, who often display ransom money collected from victims’ families online, while security agencies appear unable to locate them or dismantle their hideouts.
Responding, Buratai said:
“I don’t think they fail to locate them. If they can locate ordinary citizens or social media influencers, I don’t believe they cannot locate these bandits that flaunt their loot or their activities.”
The retired army chief stressed the need for continuous capacity building across the security sector, noting that criminal groups have adopted new tactics and methods to carry out attacks. He added that the growing boldness of bandits in publicly displaying their criminal proceeds underscores the need for security agencies to strengthen their operational capabilities and intelligence-gathering efforts.
