The Presidency has explained why troops cannot launch airstrikes on bandit enclaves despite having intelligence on the exact locations and identities of the groups behind recent mass abductions, including the attack on St Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, in Niger State.
Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this on Monday during an interview on ARISE News’ Prime Time.
He said although security operatives have mapped out the bandits’ operational bases, military action is often limited by the presence of kidnapped civilians used as human shields.
“The security people, they know all the bandits that are operating in that axis. They know them. They know where they operate,” he said.
Onanuga noted that the government cannot simply deploy air power against the hideouts due to the high risk of civilian casualties.
“Our people are living around where they operate. So you can’t just go there. They need to be very careful that in the course of chasing these bandits, they don’t go and bomb innocent Nigerians,” Onanuga explained.
He cited a past incident in Borno State where the military mistakenly struck civilians after receiving faulty coordinates.
“Some years ago in Borno State, when the military thought they had the right satellite connection, they bombed the wrong people. They must avoid that kind of mistake,” he said.
Onanuga also revealed that uncertainty still surrounds the exact number of abducted students from the Papiri school attack, as neither the school authorities nor the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger State has provided a complete list.
“As of now, the authorities are in the dark as to how many people are really missing. You said students are missing — let us have their names. Let us know what we are looking for,” he said.
He raised concerns over the conduct of the school’s leadership, alleging that the school principal had “disappeared” since the incident.
“For the security, they found it very strange that they are not cooperating. What is the agenda?” he queried.
The presidential aide added that security forces often delay storming bandit camps because abductors typically surround themselves with victims to prevent military attacks.
“What sometimes restrains them from going after them is the risk of collateral damage. They go about abducting our people and use them as a shield so that they will not be attacked,” he said.
According to him, the bandits are aware of the consequences of defying government pressure.
“They know that if they keep those people and refuse to release them, the next thing will be for the government to embark on a kinetic action and attack their base,” he stated.
Onanuga also backed President Tinubu’s directive redeploying officers from VIP protection to frontline operations, saying it will significantly boost security presence across vulnerable communities.
“I read today about 100,000 policemen guarding VIPs. If you share them out to vulnerable areas, that will make a lot of difference,” he said.
Responding to criticism from religious leaders, Onanuga insisted that the administration is not downplaying the gravity of the security challenge.
“This government has never denied that Nigerians are being killed. We know we have problems, but we are making efforts to ensure that we stem all these things,” he said.
He added that President Tinubu is expected to address the nation soon after ongoing security briefings.
