A retired military officer has addressed public calls for more aggressive military action against bandits, explaining the complex constraints that prevent security forces from employing indiscriminate tactics.
Major General Umar I. Mohammed (Retd.), speaking during an interview on Daily Trust TV from 21:20, responded to growing public frustration over the persistent banditry crisis in Nigeria’s northwest region.
“So many people are saying, ‘Okay, why can’t we go and bomb them?'” Mohammed acknowledged, referencing common public sentiment calling for overwhelming military force against criminal groups.
However, the security expert outlined the fundamental challenges facing military operations against bandits, distinguishing between visible and hidden operational constraints.
“I used to tell people that we have two challenges,” Mohammed explained. “There are challenges that we see, and there are challenges that you also see, but there are some unseen challenges that you don’t know.”
The retired general emphasized a critical distinction between military forces and criminal organizations in their approach to civilian casualties.
“There is a difference between an army and a bandit,” Mohammed stated. “A bandit can go and kill women and children. But we can’t do that as a military because some people like Turji are staying with their children and wives; they’re all in a community.”
Mohammed referenced notorious bandit leader Bello Turji as an example of how criminal leaders embed themselves within civilian populations, creating complex operational challenges for security forces.
The military expert cited international humanitarian law as a fundamental constraint on military operations. “You can’t go and bomb the entire community because there is the Geneva Convention which says that you don’t kill somebody that is innocent,” he explained.
Mohammed further elaborated on the specific protections under international law: “You don’t kill a woman, you don’t kill a child.”
His comments highlight the delicate balance military forces must maintain between pursuing security objectives and adhering to international humanitarian standards, even when confronting criminal groups that operate without such constraints.
