'If influencers can be tracked, why not bandits?' Ex-army chief Buratai raises questions

• He suggested the issue is unlikely to be a lack of capacity, saying security agencies may have operational reasons for not acting publicly.

• Buratai also called for more recruitment, better welfare for security personnel, and the expansion of Nigeria's counter-terrorism infrastructure.

Former Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai (rtd) has said he does not believe Nigerian security agencies lack the ability to locate bandits who regularly post videos and share their activities on social media.

Buratai made the remarks during an interview on TVC on Monday, pushing back on the widely held view that tracking criminal groups operating openly online is beyond the capacity of Nigeria's security apparatus.

His reasoning was straightforward: if authorities can identify and locate ordinary citizens through their social media activity, the same should apply to criminals who publicly flaunt their operations.

"If they can locate ordinary citizens or social media influencers, I don't believe they can not locate these bandits that flaunt their loot or whatever activities they do," he said.

Asked to explain why the bandits remain at large despite their visible online presence, Buratai refused to draw firm conclusions. He ruled out capacity as the limiting factor but said security agencies may have operational considerations that inform their decisions. "I would not like to say it is a capacity-building challenge, but I think they may have their reasons," he said.

Buratai confirmed that Nigeria's military has specialised units trained for hostage rescue operations, without disclosing specific details. He cited the Nigerian Navy's Special Boat Service and the Nigerian Army's Special Forces as examples of units with that capability, while noting that decisions around intervention are often shaped by concerns over hostage safety and the risk of collateral damage.

Beyond the immediate security situation, Buratai called for structural improvements across Nigeria's security agencies, including more recruitment, continuous retraining, and better welfare and accommodation for personnel.

He also proposed expanding the National Counter Terrorism Centre under the Office of the National Security Adviser into state-level branches, arguing that better coordination infrastructure and advanced technology would strengthen the overall response to kidnapping and terrorism.

The interview comes as public pressure over the Oyo State school abductions continues to grow, with schools shut across the area and children still in captivity more than two weeks after the attack on May 15.

READ NEXT: ‘Stop branding us kidnappers’ — South-West Fulani chiefs break silence over ethnic profiling