Former military governor of the old Kano State, Colonel Sani Bello (retd.), has claimed that the Federal Government is aware of the locations of notorious bandit leaders and has the intelligence and military capability to eliminate them if it chooses to do so.
Speaking during an interview with Premier Radio Kano over the weekend, Bello argued that Nigeria possesses the personnel, equipment and surveillance technology required to effectively combat banditry and insurgency.
According to the retired army officer, security agencies know where armed groups are operating and have the means to track them.
He questioned why notorious bandit leaders continue to issue public threats despite what he described as the government’s knowledge of their whereabouts.
Bello maintained that with modern surveillance tools and available intelligence, authorities should be able to locate and neutralise criminal elements.
He dismissed claims that Nigeria lacks the weapons needed to tackle insecurity, insisting that the military has drones, artillery systems and aircraft that far exceed the capabilities of the armed groups.
While acknowledging that the government may have reasons for its operational decisions, Bello stressed that no criminal should be beyond the reach of the state if there is sufficient political will.
Calls for More Personnel in Security Operations
The former military administrator urged the Federal Government to strengthen security operations by integrating police personnel into military campaigns and recalling retired soldiers to active service.
He commended troops currently fighting on the front lines, describing them as overstretched due to the widespread nature of insecurity across the country.
According to Bello, addressing the security crisis requires a significant increase in manpower and a coordinated national response rather than isolated operations.
Drawing from his experience during the Nigerian Civil War, he recalled that the country’s military strength expanded rapidly through mass recruitment and the mobilisation of personnel from the former Native Authority Police, popularly known as ‘Yan Doka, as well as retired servicemen.
He noted that the Nigerian Army grew from just over 8,000 federal troops at the beginning of the conflict to more than 200,000 personnel by the war’s end.
Bello added that police officers already possess basic discipline and would require only brief combat training, weapons handling and battlefield orientation before being deployed to support military operations against bandits and insurgents.
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