President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has stated that security agencies have detailed intelligence on the identities and locations of bandit groups responsible for recent mass kidnappings, including the attack on St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State.
While speaking during an interview on ARISE on Monday, Onanuga explained that despite this intelligence, operational actions are constrained by concerns over civilian safety.
He highlighted that bandit camps are often located near civilian settlements or include hostages, making aerial bombardments or direct strikes too risky.
“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,” he said.
Onanuga also referenced a past military error in Borno State where civilians were mistakenly struck, stressing the need to avoid such incidents.
Onanuga further noted challenges in verifying the exact number of abducted students, citing the lack of complete records from the school or the Niger State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
He also mentioned the disappearance of the school principal, which has complicated efforts. “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.
Addressing the use of human shields by bandits, Onanuga explained that this tactic often prevents immediate military action. “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, adding that the bandits are aware of the potential consequences of holding hostages for too long.
Defending the President’s directive to redeploy officers from VIP protection to frontline duties, Onanuga emphasized the importance of reallocating security resources to vulnerable areas.
“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 noted.
Responding to criticism from religious leaders, Onanuga reaffirmed the government’s acknowledgment of the security challenges and ongoing efforts to address them.
“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 following security consultations. “I think he will do so very soon,” he concluded.