Nigeria’s former chief of army staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai (retd), has cautioned that the growing reliance on soldiers for internal security operations across the country is undermining the capacity of the police and other civilian security agencies, even as it delivers short-term stability.
Military personnel are currently deployed in all 36 states and the federal capital territory in support of internal security operations. Speaking on Monday at the 2026 Armed Forces Celebration and Remembrance Day lecture in Abuja, Buratai said the widespread presence of troops was gradually eroding the development and effectiveness of institutions that should ordinarily lead internal security efforts.
While acknowledging that the armed forces’ involvement has helped to contain immediate threats, Buratai warned that it was fostering a cycle of dependency that weakens civil policing and places unsustainable strain on defence resources. He said the imbalance had left the military overstretched, diverted defence budgets towards routine policing tasks and reduced preparedness for conventional threats.
Under the constitution, Buratai noted, the primary roles of the armed forces are to defend Nigeria against external aggression, protect its territorial integrity, suppress insurrection and provide aid to civil authorities when necessary. Internal security, he argued, should remain fundamentally civilian-led and intelligence-driven, with the police and state security services at the forefront.
He warned against allowing developmental and internal security roles to permanently supplant the military’s core mandate, saying this would ultimately weaken both civilian institutions and the armed forces themselves. Instead, he called for a clear, time-bound and conditions-based exit strategy that would gradually return internal security responsibilities to civilian authorities while preserving military readiness.
Nigeria’s long-term security and democratic stability, Buratai added, depend on well-equipped and effective police and intelligence services, with the military deployed internally only in exceptional circumstances.
At the same event, the minister of defence, Gen Christopher Musa, called for a coordinated crackdown on the use of local transport systems by criminal networks to move weapons, drugs and other illicit materials across the country. He said tackling the problem required the active involvement of local governments, traditional rulers, religious leaders and communities, stressing that security was a shared responsibility.
Musa reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to building a more professional and self-reliant armed forces, pointing to ongoing efforts to improve troop welfare, training and doctrine, alongside renewed investment in indigenous defence production. He said Nigeria was making steady progress in developing locally manufactured defence equipment, reducing reliance on foreign suppliers while creating jobs and strengthening the country’s defence industrial base.
The minister praised the chief of defence staff, service chiefs and personnel of the armed forces for their professionalism and sacrifices, assuring Nigerians of the military’s resolve to confront armed groups, bandits and criminal networks exploiting informal transport routes to move fighters and illicit goods across states and borders.
