By Ayodele Oni
Reno Omokri, Nigeria’s Ambassador-designate to Mexico, has listed major breakthroughs recorded by the military in the fight against terrorism.
Omokri, listed when he faulted comments by Lt Gen Tukur Buratai, former Chief of Army Staff, on the inability of security agencies to locate terrorists, bandits and other non-state actors operating in Nigeria, maintained that it is not an easy task to locate high profile Terrorists.
Buratai had criticised the military and other security agencies during an interview on TVC on Tuesday.
“I don’t believe security agencies can’t locate the bandits if they can locate ordinary citizens and social media influencers,” Buratai stated.
In a statement, Omokri said Buratai failed to consider the complexity of tracking and neutralising terrorist networks.
According to him, even countries with advanced surveillance capabilities have struggled for years to locate high-profile terrorists.
Omokri cited the case of Osama bin Laden, who remained at large for years despite extensive efforts by the United States and its allies.
He said Bin Laden was declared America’s most wanted man after the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
Omokri noted that Bin Laden continued to evade capture even after orchestrating the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.
He said the Al-Qaeda leader was eventually located and killed in May 2011, almost 13 years after he was first declared a wanted terrorist.
“It took almost thirteen years to get Osama Bin Laden despite the satellites, global spy network, and other technological and human resources available to the United States.
“So, General Buratai may want to understand that it is not as easy as he makes it appear to Nigerians.”
Omokri was of the view that Buratai’s comments also failed to acknowledge recent successes recorded by Nigerian security agencies against terrorists and bandits.
He cited the killing, arrest or prosecution of several notorious bandit leaders across the country.
The former presidential aide also referenced the arrest of Sule Yellow, a suspected bandit known for his activities on TikTok.
“The notorious TikTok bandit, Sule Yellow, was arrested only three months ago by troops of the Nigerian Army, who acted on intelligence provided by our intelligence services.
“He was captured and arrested, mind you, not killed, so he can sing like a canary and expose his fellow marauders,” he said.
Omokri further pointed to the conviction of four suspects linked to the June 2022 attack on Saint Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.
“Additionally, only today, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, four out of the six Owo Church attackers, after they were located, arrested, prosecuted, have been sentenced to death,” he said.
He added that another suspect linked to the attack was recently arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS).
Omokri said public remarks by former senior government officials should be made with due regard to their impact on public confidence.
He urged Buratai to consider the achievements of security agencies before making sweeping assessments of their performance.
“So, rather than making statements that risk eroding Nigerian citizens’ confidence in their government and its security architecture, perhaps General Buratai, as a former Nigerian Ambassador, whose words should build faith in Nigeria, may want to take an informed position and weigh his public utterances in light of the privileged position he once held,” he concluded.
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