It’s Harder Than You Think!” — Presidency Reveals Why Military Can’t Crush Bandits Overnight

The Presidency has stated that resolving Nigeria’s long-standing insecurity challenges cannot be equated with the rapid military response to the attempted coup in the Benin Republic.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Presidential Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made the clarification during an appearance on Arise TV’s Prime Time on Monday.

Onanuga explained that the fight against bandits and terrorists is fundamentally different from confronting a conventional army, noting that these criminals frequently use innocent civilians as human shields.

He stressed that because terrorists abduct vulnerable citizens and hold them hostage, security forces must exercise extreme caution to avoid harming captives during operations.

“It’s an entirely different ball game,” Onanuga said. “The internal battle is asymmetric warfare. Our military has repeatedly pointed this out, but many still don’t fully grasp it.

“Take the Benin Republic incident for example — when the attackers struck, they knew exactly where to target: a military base. But with bandits and terrorists, they hide among civilians and take soft targets. You cannot simply carry out airstrikes without considering the innocent people being held hostage.

“These groups operate like guerrillas. Even the almighty United States struggled to locate similar fighters in Afghanistan. It is not easy.”

Onanuga assured Nigerians that despite the complexity of the situation, the government remains committed to ending terrorism and banditry as soon as possible.