We know terror sponsors but won’t expose them – Buratai

Former Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, has revealed that Nigeria’s security agencies are aware of individuals financing terrorism but are unable to make their identities public.

Buratai made the disclosure on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television, where he addressed growing concerns over the secrecy surrounding terror sponsors in the country.

“You cannot say I should be responsible for naming the financiers of terror,” he said.

He stressed that the decision to withhold the names lies with relevant authorities, noting that there are underlying reasons the identities have not been disclosed.

“It’s not just about mentioning names; those agencies know why the names are not released. Action should be taken; these individuals are still within society today, and they are known,” Buratai added.

His comments come amid renewed security concerns following recent attacks in the North-East, particularly in Borno State, which have continued to raise questions about the effectiveness of Nigeria’s counter-terrorism efforts.

The former Army chief also clarified the military’s role in the rehabilitation of repentant Boko Haram members, distancing the Nigerian Army from the policy.

According to him, the initiative was a government decision, while the Army only provided an initial surrender window to insurgents in 2016.

“The initial concept that we had was that we gave them a timeline to surrender in 2016, and if they surrendered, we gave them a free passage and handed them over to appropriate agencies to rehabilitate them,” he explained.

Buratai further called for improved intelligence gathering and increased recruitment of security personnel, warning that Nigeria’s security challenges require a more robust and coordinated response.