Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.), has said Nigeria's security agencies possess the capacity to track and locate bandits, arguing that the same capabilities used to monitor ordinary citizens can be deployed against criminal elements.

Buratai made the remarks on Monday during an interview on TVC while responding to questions on the ability of security forces to rescue the schoolchildren and teachers recently abducted in Oyo State.

The retired army chief was reacting to concerns over the growing insecurity in the country and the effectiveness of security operations against kidnappers and bandit groups.

Gunmen had reportedly abducted several schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State, with one of the teachers later killed by the assailants.

Speaking on the incident, Buratai expressed confidence in the capabilities of security agencies, noting that they should be able to identify and track criminal groups if they can successfully monitor ordinary citizens and public figures.

"I don't believe security agencies cannot locate bandits if they can locate ordinary citizens and social media influencers," he said.

While acknowledging the need for improvements within the security architecture, Buratai stopped short of describing the situation as a capacity challenge, suggesting that security agencies may have operational reasons for their actions.

However, he stressed the importance of strengthening the country's security institutions through increased recruitment and continuous training.

"There must be capacity building across all the security agencies. We need more troops to be recruited, more operatives, and more policemen who should be trained and retrained," he added.

Buratai's comments come amid renewed calls for stronger measures to address kidnapping, banditry, and other security threats across the country.