The Federal Government has shed light on the constraints faced by Nigeria’s security agencies in dealing decisively with the bandit groups responsible for the recent spate of mass abductions, explaining that the primary concern is the potential for massive civilian casualties.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, disclosed the government’s operational dilemma during an interview on ARISE News on Monday.
Onanuga confirmed that security agencies possess detailed intelligence on the locations and identities of the bandits, but are often restrained from launching aggressive kinetic operations, such as airstrikes, due to the presence of hostages.
Presidential Aide Bayo Onanuga: “The security people, they know all the bandits that are operating in that axis. They know them. They know where they operate. What sometimes restrains them from going after them is the risk of collateral damage. They go about abducting our people and and use them as a shield so that they will not be attacked.”
The aide stressed that the government cannot simply launch airstrikes on the identified enclaves, noting, “Our people are living around where they operate. So you can’t just go there. They need to be very careful that in the course of chasing these bandits, they don’t go and bomb innocent Nigerians.”
Onanuga specifically recalled a past incident in Borno State where the military mistakenly struck civilians, underscoring the necessity for extreme caution and precision in intelligence-led operations.
This explanation comes as a response to public clamour urging the government to adopt a more ruthless, force-driven strategy against the criminal gangs following the recent high-profile school abductions in Niger and Kebbi states.
The Presidential aide, however, stated that the bandits understand that defying government pressure to release hostages could eventually lead to decisive kinetic action being taken against their bases.
