The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, has spoken on the challenges of prosecuting the war against bandits.
Speaking in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service, the minister said the military has the location of the bandits but are being cautious because their locations are usually in places where direct strikescould endanger the lives of civilians.
“This is how guerrilla warfare works. There will be periods of calm, and then they launch an attack that shakes the nation. Yes, we know their locations, but some of these areas are places where direct strikes could endanger civilians, or forests where our bombs cannot penetrate” he said
The Minister maintained that Nigerian troops are working “day and night” to dismantle the networks responsible for the violence, assuring the public that the military is making significant progress.
“We never said the problem was completely over. But this renewed kidnapping of schoolchildren worries us. We are studying what went wrong and how to prevent a recurrence,” he said
According to him, an established framework for school security had previously contributed to a reduction in cases over the last two years.
The minister confirmed an investigation into reports that security personnel were withdrawn shortly before bandits attacked a girls’ school in Maga, Kebbi State.
“We will uncover what happened. If anyone is found culpable, they will be sanctioned,” he said.
Badaru also noted concerns about bandit groups extorting rural communities, while explaining that military operations in such areas are conducted cautiously to avoid civilian casualties.
