Boko Haram Attack: Buratai Town, Not Former Army Chief, Involved
By Tom Okpe
The Senator representing Borno South Senatorial District, Senator Ali Ndume, has clarified that Buratai town in Borno State was attacked by the Boko Haram Sect in an ambush and not the former Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai, Rtd.
Ndume made the clarification on Monday, few hours after Buratai had denied the attack, saying that his recent comments on National Television were misinterpreted and that the attack he referenced occurred in Buratai town, not on the retired military chief.
Speaking in response to widespread reports that followed his appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Ndume said he was shocked by the confusion surrounding his statement.
“I am surprised that the town ‘Buratai’ could be misconstrued as the person of General Buratai, who incidentally, hails from the town,” Ndume stated in a follow-up clarification.
During the interview, the senator addressed the worsening security situation in various parts of the country when he cited a recent Boko Haram assault in Borno State.
“What I said on Channels Television while speaking on security was that, ‘Even two days ago, Buratai was attacked in front of the operations base in Borno. But the soldiers stood up to them. They burnt down some of our assets.
“Normally these days, they burn assets like Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles, MRAPs, tanks, and heavy-duty machine guns. Sometimes they steal some of this equipment and go with them”.
The misreporting, he said, unnecessarily, escalated concerns and shifted focus from the critical issue, the persistent threat posed by insurgents to communities in Borno State and beyond.
Ndume, who formerly served as Senate Majority Leader, stressed that the broader National security landscape remains dire.
“Even in the South-South, we are grappling with economic sabotage like oil theft. The South-West is the only region that is relatively safe.
“The situation is getting terrible in Borno. The situation is bad in all six geopolitical zones, except in the South-South,” he said.
The town of Buratai, located in the Biu Local Government Area, is known not only as the hometown of Gen Buratai but also, a strategic location with forward operating base of the Nigerian Army.
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According to Ndume, recent attacks in the region underscored the need for a sustained and restructured military response.
“We need to enhance the capacity of our armed forces and provide adequate support for the communities bearing the brunt of these attacks. Security is a collective responsibility, and we must stop playing politics with it.”
Buratai had, in a statement issued by his spokesperson, described the reports as “mischievous and utterly false”, dismissing the story as baseless and the product of reckless imagination.
“For the avoidance of doubt, he celebrated the Eid festival, peacefully in Abuja in the company of family, friends, and well-wishers,” Usman said in a statement issued Monday in Abuja.
“He has remained within the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, since then. The baseless rumour is a product of the reckless imagination of purveyors of fake news, individuals whose sole aim is to malign my principal, spread fear, confusion, and misinformation,” he stated.
