ANALYSIS: Why Buratai Says Nigeria Must Rethink Its Entire Security Strategy Before It’s Too Late
For decades, Nigeria has responded to insecurity largely through military deployments, special operations and increased firepower. Yet despite billions of naira spent on defence, numerous counter-insurgency campaigns and the sacrifice of thousands of security personnel, the country continues to grapple with terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, separatist violence, oil theft and organised crime.
Against this backdrop, the lecture delivered by former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai (Rtd.), at the 2026 Armed Forces Celebration and Remembrance Day (AFCRD) National Symposium deserves serious national attention. More than a ceremonial address, Buratai’s presentation offered a doctrine-level blueprint for reshaping Nigeria’s security architecture, arguing that the country has reached a critical crossroads where traditional military responses alone can no longer guarantee peace and stability.
At the heart of Buratai’s argument is a simple but profound proposition: Nigeria must stop fighting only those carrying guns and begin dismantling the entire ecosystem that enables violence.
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Looking Beyond the Gun
Perhaps the most significant contribution of Buratai’s lecture is his insistence that insurgents, kidnappers and bandits should not merely be viewed as isolated criminals but as products of a sophisticated system sustained by financiers, logistics networks, illegal mining, arms trafficking, recruitment channels, ideological propaganda and governance failures.
According to him, the real enemy is not merely the gunman in the forest but the financial and institutional structures that make violence profitable.
He argues that eliminating hundreds of bandits on the battlefield may produce temporary success, but unless authorities simultaneously disrupt the financial pipelines, supply chains and recruitment networks behind them, criminal groups will simply regenerate.
In his words, Nigeria has largely been “mowing the grass while leaving the roots untouched.”
That observation fundamentally reframes the national security conversation.
Instead of measuring success only by the number of terrorists neutralised or camps destroyed, Buratai argues that attention must shift towards dismantling the criminal economy sustaining insecurity.
A Military Fighting Too Many Wars
Buratai also paints a sobering picture of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
He observes that the military is currently engaged in more than thirty-two internal security operations across the federation, a situation he considers unsustainable.
Originally established to defend Nigeria against external aggression, the Armed Forces now find themselves performing duties that ordinarily belong to conventional policing—guarding highways, combating kidnapping, protecting elections, responding to communal conflicts and maintaining internal law and order.
According to Buratai, this prolonged internal deployment has steadily weakened the military’s conventional war-fighting readiness at a time when instability across the Sahel poses growing regional threats.
He warns that while Nigerian troops continue to battle Boko Haram and ISWAP in the North-East, they are simultaneously confronting armed bandits and mass kidnappers in the North-West, separatist violence in the South-East and oil theft in the South-South.
Each conflict presents unique operational demands, yet they all compete for the same military manpower and resources.
Insecurity Begins Where Development Ends
One of Buratai’s strongest arguments is that insecurity is fundamentally rooted in governance failures rather than military weakness alone.
He identifies poverty, youth unemployment, poor infrastructure, weak education, underdevelopment and the proliferation of ungoverned spaces as the true breeding grounds of violent extremism.
According to him, thousands of unemployed young Nigerians become vulnerable to recruitment by terrorist organisations and criminal gangs because the state has failed to provide meaningful economic opportunities.
Similarly, communities lacking roads, schools, hospitals and government presence become fertile ground for organised crime.
Buratai therefore insists that no amount of military firepower can permanently eliminate insecurity unless these structural conditions are addressed.
In his assessment, development is not merely complementary to security, it is itself a security strategy.
A Five-Point Blueprint for National Security Reform
Having diagnosed the problem, Buratai proceeds to outline what he considers a comprehensive roadmap for resetting Nigeria’s security architecture.
Professionalise the Military
His first recommendation focuses on redefining the role of the Armed Forces.
Rather than remaining permanently engaged in routine policing duties, he advocates accelerated professionalisation and specialisation, enabling the military to concentrate primarily on external defence and high-intensity warfare
Routine internal security responsibilities, he argues, should gradually shift to the Nigeria Police Force
Expand the Police Force
Perhaps Buratai’s most ambitious proposal is the expansion of the Nigeria Police Force to approximately 1.5 million personnel.
He notes that Nigeria currently falls significantly below the United Nations’ recommended police-to-population ratio.
According to him, building a well-trained, properly equipped and adequately funded police institution would enable the military to withdraw from internal security duties and focus on defending Nigeria’s territorial integrity.
He proposes a multi-year implementation plan backed by sustained funding rather than ad hoc recruitment exercises.
A Whole-of-Society Security Doctrine
Unlike traditional military doctrines that rely almost exclusively on security agencies, Buratai advocates a whole-of-society approach.
He believes government institutions alone cannot secure every forest, village or urban settlement.
Instead, he calls for stronger collaboration involving traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society organisations, educational institutions, community leaders, the media and young Nigerians.
In his view, sustainable security depends on rebuilding trust between the state and citizens while strengthening community resilience against criminal recruitment.
Security and Development Must Become One Policy
Buratai repeatedly emphasises that economic development should no longer be treated separately from security planning.
He argues that investment in roads, agriculture, schools, healthcare, industries and job creation should form part of Nigeria’s national security doctrine.
By extending government presence into neglected communities and creating legitimate economic opportunities, the country can reduce the incentives driving criminality.
According to him, development projects should therefore be viewed not merely as economic interventions but as long-term investments in national stability.
Technology Must Become Nigeria’s New Weapon
Recognising the changing character of modern warfare, Buratai urges Nigeria to embrace technological innovation.
He recommends the establishment of a National Defence Innovation Fund (NDIF) financed through public-private partnerships to support research into cyber security, artificial intelligence, drone technology, satellite communications, surveillance systems and renewable energy solutions for military operations.
Beyond strengthening national defence, Buratai believes such investments would stimulate civilian innovation by creating technologies with dual military and commercial applications.
For example, drones developed for surveillance could also support agriculture, disaster management and environmental monitoring.
Similarly, satellite technologies could improve healthcare delivery, education and telecommunications.
Strengthening Local Defence Production
Buratai further advocates revitalising the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), reducing dependence on imported military equipment while encouraging indigenous manufacturing capacity.
According to him, stronger domestic defence production would improve national security, create jobs and stimulate technological advancement across multiple sectors of the economy.
Stop Negotiating With Criminals
One of Buratai’s most controversial recommendations concerns negotiations with armed groups.
He argues that government should discontinue negotiating with kidnappers, terrorists and organised criminal networks, insisting that such engagements often strengthen rather than weaken criminal organisations.
Instead, he proposes coordinated operations targeting the financiers, illegal miners, ransom negotiators, logistics providers and informants sustaining criminal enterprises.
He specifically recommends closer collaboration among agencies including the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) to trace illicit financial flows supporting insecurity.
National Emergency Command
To improve operational coordination, Buratai recommends establishing a National Emergency Command with direct presidential authority during major security crises.
Such a structure, he argues, would reduce bureaucratic delays and improve inter-agency collaboration during emergencies.
He also supports carefully regulated state policing and properly vetted community security structures integrated into the national security framework.
Human Capital and National Service
Buratai extends his reform proposals beyond security institutions.
He advocates restructuring the National Youth Service Corps into a broader National Service Scheme incorporating both military and civic service tracks.
Such reforms, he believes, would strengthen national unity, build practical skills and promote civic responsibility among Nigerian youths.
He equally calls for a comprehensive Veterans’ Rights and Transition framework guaranteeing timely pensions, healthcare, retraining opportunities and legal protection for retired service personnel.
The Strength of Buratai’s Blueprint
The greatest strength of Buratai’s lecture lies in its systemic diagnosis of insecurity.
Rather than recommending simply “more troops” or “more weapons,” he presents a multidimensional strategy linking governance, technology, policing, development, intelligence and citizen participation.
His proposals are largely practical and policy-oriented.
The recommendation to strengthen policing, establish an innovation fund, professionalise the Armed Forces and deepen civil-military cooperation represents a comprehensive attempt to reposition Nigeria’s security institutions for twenty-first century challenges.
Where the Blueprint Falls Short
Nevertheless, the lecture leaves important questions unanswered.
While Buratai recommends expanding the police to 1.5 million personnel, he does not outline the projected financial implications or implementation timeline.
Similarly, although he proposes stronger emergency powers and expanded community security structures, limited attention is devoted to human rights safeguards and accountability mechanisms needed to prevent abuse.
Implementation also remains the greatest challenge.
Nigeria’s previous national security strategies have contained similar recommendations concerning economic development, policing reforms and institutional coordination.
Yet execution has often been inconsistent due to funding constraints, bureaucratic bottlenecks and political interference.
Nigeria’s Real Crossroads
Ultimately, Buratai’s lecture argues that Nigeria’s greatest security challenge is no longer simply defeating terrorists on the battlefield.
Rather, it is whether the country possesses the political courage to fundamentally redesign its security architecture before existing pressures overwhelm current institutions.
His warning is clear: if Nigeria continues relying primarily on reactive military deployments while neglecting governance, technology, policing and development, today’s security challenges may pale in comparison with those of tomorrow.
His message therefore goes beyond defence policy.
It is a call for national restructuring, not constitutional restructuring, but institutional restructuring.
The question, as Buratai leaves Nigerians to consider, is no longer what needs to be done.
The real question is whether the country possesses the collective political will to finally do it.
By Hassan Abdullahi
