Regarding his command from 2015 to 2021, former Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (Rtd.) has defended his time spent fighting insurgency in Nigeria.
Buratai highlighted the notable advancements made under his leadership while acknowledging the difficulties facing Nigeria’s security environment in an interview on Arise News on Tuesday.
Buratai emphasized several significant accomplishments, such as the reclaiming of areas from Boko Haram, who before to 2015 had seized control of about 120,000 square kilometers of Nigerian territory.
Buratai claimed that the Nigerian Army had effectively retaken regions like Michika, Madagali, and the borders with Chad and Cameroon by the time he left power.
“We successfully cleared insurgents from numerous local government areas in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe States, restoring governance to places previously under terrorist control,” Buratai stated.
He also pointed out the reopening of critical highways like the Maiduguri-Bama road and the Damaturu-Maiduguri highway, which had been inaccessible due to Boko Haram attacks.
Buratai emphasised the importance of intelligence-led operations in combating the insurgency, particularly between 2019 and 2020, where the military focused on tracking insurgent logistics, including arms suppliers, food, and fuel distributors.
He assured that had intelligence operations continued with the same intensity, more progress would have been made in eradicating the threat.
On allegations of mismanagement of military funds, particularly regarding arms procurement, Buratai strongly denied the claims, calling them “false and malicious.”
He clarified that no funds were directly given to him, and all budgetary releases were properly accounted for. He further explained that the $1 billion security fund mentioned in speculations was managed by the Ministry of Defence, not the Army.
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Buratai also pointed to the Army’s procurement of modern military equipment, including armored vehicles, artillery systems, and drones, which helped enhance operational effectiveness.
He underscored the rehabilitation of military barracks, the establishment of Army University Biu, and the encouragement of indigenous defense manufacturing, which led to the production of mine-resistant vehicles and small arms.
While addressing the issue of financial tracking of terrorist sponsors, Buratai noted that such activities fell under civilian intelligence agencies like the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).
He emphasised the army’s coordination with these agencies but made it clear that financial tracking was beyond the military’s purview.
Buratai urged critics to refrain from relying on “politically motivated” narratives and to conduct proper investigations into the military’s operations.
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