Soldier Accuses Nigerian Leaders Of Enabling Banditry By Paying Ransoms, Failing To Order Military Action To Crush Terrorists, Bandits
He claimed that bandits are emboldened to kidnap and set ransom terms, knowing the government will pay.
In a viral video, Suleiman S., dressed in a Nigerian Army uniform, alleged that the government’s practice of paying ransoms to bandits is hindering the military’s ability to effectively combat them.
He claimed that bandits are emboldened to kidnap and set ransom terms, knowing the government will pay.
Suleiman S. urged the public to redirect their blame from the Nigerian Army to the government, emphasising that soldiers are constrained by orders and cannot take independent action.
The soldier said the military has the capability to eradicate bandits, particularly in hotspots like Zamfara State forest within a week if given the necessary orders.
He expressed frustration that the military’s potential is being wasted due to a lack of direction from leadership, whom he accused of profiting from the ongoing crisis.
Suleiman pointed to the success in Maiduguri, where the military has made significant strides in reducing insecurity, even leading to some bandits surrendering, as evidence of what can be achieved with effective action.
The soldier alleged that despite having knowledge of bandit locations, the military is being restrained from taking action in Zamfara and other states.
He implicated a larger conspiracy, citing the recent assassination of the Emir of Gobir in Sokoto State as an example of a coordinated plan by certain individuals or groups to perpetuate insecurity.
In the video, he says, “May the peace and blessing of God be upon you all. Today there are bandits on TikTok. They freely kidnap who they want, when they want and how they want it.
“They (bandits) request any amount of ransom and they get it and they also free their abductees when and how they want it. And it is the government that is paying the ransom.
“People should stop seeing the faults of the Nigerian Army and their personnel. Stop blaming the Nigerian military, we take orders. We have the weapons and manpower to crush bandits.
“If our leaders give us the directive to face these bandits head-on, we will finish them in a week.
“What is Zamfara State forest, for God’s sake, that we (Nigerian Army) cannot secure?
“We (Nigerian Army) have the training, and machinery that bandits don’t have. So just forget Nigeria.
“It is our leaders that know what our country Nigeria is into and they also know what is happening in Nigeria.
“If Nigeria is peaceful, they (leaders) will not get the monetary benefit which they are enjoying as a result of the insecurity ravaging the country.
“Today, look at Maiduguri, the Borno State headquarters, insecurity has become a history there. Who will bring an end to the insecurity in Maiduguri? The Nigerian Army.
“Now it is bandits by themselves that are surrendering to the army in Maiduguri that they have repent.
“What is Zamfara State forest? They are there in Zamfara State killing and kidnapping for ransom any way they want to. The Nigerian Army is not just watching but working based on orders.
“As a soldier, without order from above, you cannot say you want to face bandits head-on and fight them, it must follow an order from our leaders.
“Our leaders know everything. Now in Zamfara State, there are certain roads vehicles cannot pass through because of bandits. And the government knows where the bandits are but they will not give the army permission to eliminate them (bandits).
“Now they have killed the District Head of Gobir in Sokoto State, By carefully looking at the incident, you can agree that the traditional leader was killed on the orders of someone.
“We are the Nigerian Army and we don’t act until we get an order. Without an order from our leaders, we can’t do anything. But today if they say the army should go out to face the bandits, there is no soldier that will not participate and we will eliminate them (bandits).”
