•Burutai and bandits
A former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Burutai, has suggested a lockdown of Nigeria’s borders to deal with the growing insecurity in the country, just as it was done to deal with the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.
Burutai, who spoke on Channels Television today, said that allowing insurgency to continue to linger was dangerous for the country, hence the need to invest in tackling the problem.
Community resilience, involving collaboration among political, traditional, and religious leaders, was needed to find lasting solutions to address insecurity in Nigeria, the former army chief said.
He also said that he had earlier warned that the insurgency would last longer, hence the need for a long-term plan.
Burutai, who was the Chief of Army Staff during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, said that the Nigerian military should be seen as a solution to insecurity, rather than a hindrance.
On the lingering issue of state police, he opined that while the idea was important, it could be abused by politicians to intimidate their opponents.
According to him, Nigeria can safely say that the idea of state police has come to stay if the issue of political interference can be addressed.
