Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.), has warned that the increasing deployment of soldiers for internal security duties across the country is weakening the capacity of the Nigeria Police Force and other civilian security agencies, even though it provides short-term stability.
Military personnel are currently deployed across Nigeria, including the Federal Capital Territory, in support of internal security operations.
Buratai made this observation on Monday while delivering the keynote address at the 2026 Armed Forces Celebration and Remembrance Day lecture in Abuja.
He said the widespread presence of soldiers across Nigeria’s 36 states is gradually eroding the growth 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,” Buratai said.
According to him, the situation has created a dangerous imbalance in which the military is overstretched, defence budgets are diverted to routine policing duties, and the Armed Forces’ preparedness for conventional threats is reduced.
Buratai noted that constitutionally, the primary responsibilities of the Armed Forces of Nigeria include defending the nation against external aggression, protecting territorial integrity, suppressing insurrection and providing aid to civil authorities when required.
However, he stressed that internal security should fundamentally be civilian-led and intelligence-driven, with the police and state security services in the forefront.
“Internal security, more or less, should be civil-driven and intelligence-driven by the state intelligence services and the police, essentially,” he said.
He warned that developmental and internal security roles must not permanently replace the military’s core responsibility of defending the country against external threats.
“The Armed Forces of Nigeria remains a vital force for national development and stability, but its expanded internal role must not compromise its core mandate or weaken civilian institutions,” Buratai said.
The former army chief called for a clear, time-bound and conditions-based exit strategy that would gradually return internal security responsibilities to civilian authorities, while preserving the military’s readiness for its primary mandate.
He added that Nigeria’s long-term security and democratic stability depend on strong, well-equipped police and intelligence services, with the military reserved for exceptional situations.
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