Over use of Military for Internal Security Undermining Police Capacity – Buratai

A former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd), has warned that the growing reliance on the Armed Forces of Nigeria for internal security duties is weakening the Nigeria Police Force and other civilian security agencies.

Buratai made the remarks on Monday at the National Defence College, Abuja, while delivering the keynote address at the 2026 Armed Forces Celebration and Remembrance Day lecture.

According to him, the widespread deployment of soldiers across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory has provided short-term stability but is gradually eroding the development and effectiveness of the police and internal intelligence institutions that should ordinarily take the lead in internal security operations.

“The extensive deployment of the Armed Forces of Nigeria in internal security provides immediate stability, but it also perpetuates a cycle of dependency that weakens civil police capacity and strains defence resources,” he said.

The retired army chief noted that this imbalance has left the military overstretched, diverted defence budgets into routine policing tasks, and reduced the Armed Forces’ preparedness for conventional and external threats.

Buratai emphasised that the constitution clearly defines the primary roles of the Armed Forces as defending the country against external aggression, protecting territorial integrity, suppressing insurrection, and providing aid to civil authorities when necessary.

He stressed, however, that internal security should fundamentally be civil-led and intelligence-driven, with the police and state security services taking the frontline role.

To address the situation, Buratai called for a clear, time-bound and conditions-based exit strategy that would gradually transfer internal security responsibilities back to civilian authorities while preserving the military’s readiness for its core mandate.

He added that Nigeria’s long-term security and democratic stability depend on building strong, well-equipped police and intelligence services, with the military reserved for exceptional circumstances.

Earlier at the event, the Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd), called for a coordinated crackdown on the use of local transportation systems by criminal networks to move weapons, drugs and other illicit materials across the country.

Musa said tackling insecurity requires the collective involvement of local governments, traditional rulers, religious leaders and community members, stressing that security is a shared responsibility that goes beyond the armed forces alone.