Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd), has distanced the Nigerian Army from the failure to name individuals financing terrorism, placing the responsibility on government authorities and relevant agencies.
He made this known on Friday, the 20th of March, 2026, during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he spoke on security operations and counter-terror efforts.
Buratai stressed that the military’s role is often overstretched in public perception, noting that identifying and exposing terror financiers falls outside its mandate.
According to him, the decision not to release such names lies with agencies empowered to handle intelligence and prosecution, as well as the Federal Government.
“We over rely on the military and Army, everybody has its own responsibility, the government knows where the source came from; we have agencies that are responsible.
“You cannot say I should be responsible for naming the financiers of terror.
“It’s not just about mentioning names, those agencies know why the names are not released.
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“Action should be taken, these individuals are still within society Today, and they are known.
“I take responsibility for certain things that are strictly the Nigerian Army’s responsibility.
“It’s government decision and not that of Army to rehabilitate repentant Boko Haram, the initial concept that we had was that we gave them a timeline to surrender in 2016 and if they surrender we gave them a free passage and hand them over to appropriate agencies to rehabilitate them.”
He maintained that while the Army handles combat operations, other institutions are tasked with intelligence, arrests, and prosecution.
Buratai also clarified that the rehabilitation of repentant Boko Haram members was a government-led initiative, not a military policy, explaining that the Army’s role was limited to facilitating surrender and handing over suspects to appropriate authorities.