99 percent of terrorists are Nigerians, Buratai discloses

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The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Yusuf Tukur Buratai, has said the various shades of insecurity in different parts of the country will end as soon as Nigerians want them to end.

Buratai stated this on Monday when he addressed State House Correspondents after a closed-doors meeting with President Muhmmadu Buhari in the Presidential Villa.

Buratai, who noted that various ongoing military operations in the north and other parts of the country were progressing successfully, also said that the security situation in the north had been brought under control, saying the situation had become better than it was a few months ago.

However, it would be recalled that a couple of bloody incidences had been reported in different parts of the country, especially in the north, in the last few days.


Reports had it that 19 persons were shot dead in Kukum Daji Village, Kaduna State Sunday night, while suspected bandits ambushed and killed 16 soldiers in Katsina on Saturday.

Responding to a question posed by correspondents on whether there was a possibility of the various violent crises across the country being finally put down, the Chief of Army Staff said the various criminal activities besetting the country would end if Nigerians come together to end them.

According to him, those engaging in the violent and criminal activities were almost all Nigerians, saying “these terrorists, 99 percent of them are Nigerians. These kidnappers I will say 100 percent of them are Nigerians.

“As to whether banditry, terrorism and so on will end, I think it all depends. If Nigerians want it to end today, I can assure you it will end today, if everybody joins hands because these bandits are not outside Nigeria, they are not from foreign land.

“So it’s not just a military, security agency task to end the insecurity in this country. It’s only when it goes bad that we are called in, but everybody has the responsibility to handle that.

“Some of the insecurities are as old as history itself and it all depends on what you are doing to contain or defeat it at a particular time. It is the totality of your effort that will determine the escalation or containment of the insecurity in the country.

“There are set backs that can occur in such military operations or any security operations but that not mean inability to handle it, incompetence to handle it, as long as the efforts are there and are visible, the support of all and sundry will be required to address it squarely.

“Like I said, if we want it to end, the totality of the people’s effort must be put into it to see that insecurity in the country is reduced to the barest minimum.

“But if we don’t do anything and continue to complain, and continue to accuse the agencies involved in fighting it, then we are not helping matters. You are supposed to find solutions as something is being done on daily basis.

“I assure you that we will soon reach the end of the tunnel and we will see the light that will improve the security situation in all parts of the country”, he said.