Buratai explains involvement of military in internal security operations
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, says the need to confront criminal elements with superior fire power informed the continuous involvement of troops in internal security operations.
Buratai gave the explanation while presenting a paper: “Civil-military relations: A new paradigm of military engagement in Nigeria” at a two-day capacity building/retreat organized by the House of Representatives Committee on Defence in collaboration with Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) and the Centre for Strategic Research and Studies of the National Defence College in Abuja.
Represented by the Chief of Civil Military Affairs, Maj. Gen. Usman Mohmammed, Buratai said that the army continues to conduct internal operations in response to threats to peace and security.
He said that the army is doing that a secondary responsibility, saying that the police, supported by the Department of State Services (DSS) are supposed to be the lead agencies on internal security.
According to him, the reasons for the army’s continuous involvement include the perceived challenges associated with the police which possess limited firepower as compared to the criminals.
“Secondly, the aforementioned reason has further led to loss of confidence in the police to decisively restore law and order, especially during insurgency and banditry activities, hence the concerted calls for the involvement of the military in internal security operations.
“Thirdly, the imperative to be proactive in order to save lives and property has compelled the military to become more involved in internal security operations and avoid further degeneration of crises situations.
“Lastly, the changing nature of conflicts from inter-state to intra-state as well as the fact that military is part of the community and participating in internal security operations is a secondary role,’’ he said.
Buratai said that the insurgency in the north-east and banditry in the north-west were the most potent threats to internal security at the moment.
Those threats, he said, though internal have necessitated a substantial deployment of the military to quell them.
According to him, the attendant effects of these threats include humanitarian crises, displacement leading to influx of refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), large number of fatalities, food shortages and inadequate medicare among others.
“These crises have inadvertently stretched the capacity of the Nigerian Army in terms of adequate manpower to decisively support the lead agencies on internal security to deal with these threats,’’ he said.
The army chief said that the primary responsibilities of the military, according to the constitution were to defend Nigeria from external aggression, maintain its territorial integrity and secure its borders from violation.
