Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.), has raised fresh concerns over Nigeria’s worsening security crisis, warning that ministers, senators and state governors could become the next targets of bandits if decisive action is not taken.

Buratai sounded the alarm on Sunday while reacting to the reported killing of retired Major General Abubakar Rabe in bandits’ captivity, describing the incident as a disturbing sign of the growing audacity and operational capacity of criminal groups across the country.

According to the former army chief, the murder of a senior military officer marks a dangerous escalation in the nation’s security challenges and should serve as a wake-up call to government at all levels.

“If this trend continues unchecked, the next targets may not be soldiers or civilians alone. They could include ministers, senators, and even state governors. No leader will be immune,” Buratai warned.

He said the tragic death of the retired general validates concerns he had previously raised about the long-term threat posed by insurgency and banditry if not confronted with sufficient force and strategic coordination.

Recalling an earlier warning he issued in 2021, Buratai said the country is now witnessing the consequences of years of inadequate response to growing insecurity.

“Today, our nation is witnessing the grim unfolding of that prediction. The capture, torture and eventual killing of a senior military officer, Major General Rabe Abubakar, is not merely a tragedy; it marks a dangerous threshold,” he stated.

The former army chief noted that criminal groups have become increasingly sophisticated, operating with improved intelligence networks, access to advanced weaponry and greater confidence in carrying out attacks.

He argued that the current approach to tackling insecurity has failed to deter criminal elements and called for a major shift in strategy.

“The current reactive strategy, paying ransoms and negotiating with criminals, must end. It is time for a full-scale, coordinated military and intelligence offensive,” Buratai said.

As part of his recommendations, he urged the Federal Government to establish a unified security command structure capable of coordinating all security agencies operating in states most affected by insecurity.

“The Federal Government should establish a unified command with direct authority over all security agencies operating in high-risk states, eliminating bureaucratic delays,” he advised.

Buratai also called for a crackdown on individuals and networks that provide logistical and financial support to bandit groups, insisting that security operations must go beyond armed confrontations to target those enabling criminal activities.

“Bandits do not survive on AK-47s alone. They rely on networks of corrupt middlemen, illegal miners, ransom negotiators and local collaborators. These individuals must be identified, arrested and prosecuted. The cost of supporting terrorism should be made unbearable,” he said.

He stressed that only a coordinated national response involving security agencies, intelligence services and political leadership can prevent further deterioration of the security situation and restore public confidence in the state’s ability to protect lives and property.

Buratai’s warning comes amid renewed concerns over escalating attacks by bandits and insurgents in several parts of the country, with security experts increasingly calling for stronger and more coordinated measures to stem the tide of violence.

The Federal Government spent N57.78bn on security-related projects and operations in the first four months of 2026, despite worsening insecurity across the country, with no fewer than 98 criminal incidents including 51 attacks and abductions recorded nationwide in just one week.

Data obtained from the Open Treasury Portal showed that the spending, which covered defence equipment procurement, security infrastructure, military barracks, police facilities and other security-related projects, represented a 127.97 per cent increase from the N25.35bn spent during the corresponding period of 2025.

The expenditure comes amid persistent attacks by terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and armed criminals across several states, raising concerns among security experts over the effectiveness of government efforts to tackle the crisis.

Analysis of the Treasury Portal data showed that N57.78bn had been spent as of April 2026 from a total security allocation of N4.66tn, indicating that only 1.24 per cent of the approved budget had been utilised within the first four months of the year.

The largest share of the expenditure, N21.39bn, was spent on defence equipment procurement, accounting for about 37 per cent of total security spending during the period.

Another N14.16bn was spent on security equipment, while N5.84bn went to the construction and provision of military barracks. The government also spent N5.17bn on police stations and barracks, N3.26bn on rehabilitation of defence equipment, N2.39bn on defence facilities and N2.16bn on repairs of military barracks.

For routine operations, N3bn was spent on security services, while N320.94m was disbursed as security votes.

However, no expenditure was recorded under the military operations budget line tagged “Operation Lafiya Dole and Other Operations of the Armed Forces,” despite a N500m provision in the 2026 budget.

Similarly, no funds had been released for the kitting of Armed Forces personnel, although N2.53bn was earmarked for the programme.

A year-on-year comparison showed that spending on defence equipment rose from N9.48bn in the first four months of 2025 to N21.39bn in 2026, while military barracks construction increased from zero to N5.84bn.

Despite the increase in spending, budget implementation remained low across most security projects, with many critical programmes recording execution rates below three per cent.

The spending figures emerged as a police security report obtained by The PUNCH revealed that at least 98 criminal incidents were recorded across Nigeria within the last seven days.

The report showed that the incidents comprised 37 homicide cases, 27 banditry attacks, 24 kidnappings, eight armed robbery incidents and two terrorism-related attacks.

The incidents were reported across Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Kebbi and several other states, involving mass abductions, attacks on rural communities and kidnappings along major highways.

Among the most disturbing incidents was the abduction of 39 residents in Zamfara State after they reportedly travelled into the Fadama Forest to negotiate peace with a notorious bandit leader, Jimo Smally.

In Katsina State, bandits blocked the Katsina-Kankara highway and intercepted a commercial vehicle carrying 11 passengers. Police later rescued nine victims, while the driver and another passenger remained missing.

Reacting to the development, security analyst, Lekan Jackson-Ojo, described the situation as the worst insecurity crisis in Nigeria’s history.

“This is the highest level of insecurity in the military and political history of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.

“It is an indirect pronouncement that Nigeria is an unsafe territory now. We are having a battered economy, and there is no economy anywhere in the world that thrives under insecurity.”

Jackson-Ojo said the country had suffered unprecedented security losses in recent months.

“During the civil war, I did not remember if a general died. In the war between Ukraine and Russia, a general has not lost his life. In the war between Iran, America and Israel, a general has not lost his life. But within the past three months, we have lost almost four generals — and there is no reprisal attack,” he stated.

The analyst also criticised the reintegration of repentant terrorists into society.

“I’ve never heard it anywhere in the world that terrorists who have terrorised, damaged and killed will be integrated back into society. To me, I think the government is totally helpless — total incapability, lack of political will. Something, or many things are wrong now,” he added.

He further lamented what he described as the political elite’s preoccupation with electoral activities rather than security challenges.

“What preoccupies our political class is campaign, campaign, campaign and campaign. This is a sad situation,” he stressed.

Another security analyst, Chidi Omeje, argued that the military remained overstretched despite increased government spending.

“The military, on their own, are completely overstretched. You can count almost over 30 terrorist operations in this country where military guys are deployed,” he said.

“One MRAP alone is almost N100 billion. If you put an aircraft in the sky to do an operation, do you know how much it costs for just one hour? By the time you put that N56 billion  in dollars, it amounts to nothing.”

According to him, military operations alone would not solve Nigeria’s security challenges.

“Unless we are able to deal with the root causes, we will keep going in circles. Most of the issues are born out of bad governance, wrong prioritisation, corruption and pervasive poverty, which has made people see crime and criminality as an option for survival,” Omeje said.

He also blamed porous borders and instability across the Sahel region for worsening insecurity in Nigeria.

“From Mali to Burkina Faso to Nigeria — those places are the epicentre of terrorism. Nigeria is an attractive destination because we have porous borders and poor border management,” he stated.

Omeje urged the government to take decisive action.

“The government seems almost clueless about how to go about this matter. They are paid to find solutions — so they must find solutions,” he said.

The latest figures suggest that while the Federal Government has significantly increased security spending compared to last year, insecurity remains widespread, with violent attacks continuing across the country and a large portion of budgeted security funds yet to be utilised.

PUNCH