Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.), has raised concerns that the widespread deployment of soldiers across Nigeria is undermining the growth and effectiveness of the Nigerian Police Force and other civilian security agencies.
Gossip News Now reports that military personnel are currently stationed across all 36 states, including the Federal Capital Territory, to support internal security operations.
Speaking on Monday during the keynote address at the 2026 Armed Forces Celebration and Remembrance Day lecture in Abuja, Buratai cautioned that this trend, while providing immediate stability, risks weakening civil police capacity.
“The extensive deployment of the Armed Forces of Nigeria in internal security provides short-term stability, but it also creates a cycle of dependency that erodes police capacity and strains defence resources,” he said.
Buratai noted that this approach has created a dangerous imbalance: the military is overstretched, defence budgets are diverted to routine policing, and the Armed Forces’ readiness for conventional external threats is reduced.
He emphasized that the constitution assigns the Armed Forces the primary responsibilities of defending the nation from external aggression, protecting territorial integrity, suppressing insurrection, and supporting civil authorities when necessary.
“Internal security should primarily be civilian-led and intelligence-driven, with the police and state security services taking the lead,” Buratai stated.
He warned against allowing developmental and internal security duties to permanently replace the military’s core role of national defence.
“The Armed Forces of Nigeria remains crucial for national stability and development, but their expanded internal role must not compromise their core mandate or weaken civilian institutions,” he said.
The former army chief called for a clear, time-bound, and conditions-based exit strategy to gradually return internal security responsibilities to civilian authorities while maintaining the military’s readiness for its primary mission.
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