The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. General Tukur Buratai, has declared only 25 per cent of the Boko Haram war falls within the ambit of the Nigerian military.
Daily Trust quoted him as saying that the rest is for Nigerians to handle.
Buratai spoke in Lagos at the 2020 Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Security Meets Business Dialogue.
He said: “We are fighting the mind. Can the military fight the minds of the people? That is not the job of the military. Psychological operation is government-driven.
“Facility to reach the minds of the people is within the precinct of the governments. Does the military have control over religious leaders that preach hate?
“There is a lot of mundane issues that culminated to this problem. And unfortunately, we do not look at these little things that really matter.
“You see religious leaders addressing congregation violently on social media to instigate violence against other people.”
He urged Nigerians to own the military and other security agencies and support them with information to enable them to win the fight against Boko Haram.
Buratai also debunked claims that security arms in Nigeria were at loggerheads.
“In 2013, the international community issued a warning that foreigners should not go beyond Lagos. But starting in October 2015 they started coming. Can this be achieved without synergy?” he asked.
“There was a civil war in this country between 1967 and 1970. Did all our allies support Nigeria as a country? Those Nigeria relied upon for the supply of equipment disappointed her. We are experiencing the same thing with Boko Haram.
“Some of the arms the government has paid for since 2017 and 2018 have not been supplied. As I speak, no pin has arrived Nigeria. Will Boko Haram sleep and wait till our arm arrives? These are the issues.”
On Wednesday, the United States commended the decision of the United Nations Security Council which added ISIS-West Africa (ISIS-WA or ISWAP) and ISIS-Greater Sahara (ISIS-GS) to its terrorist designations list.
ISWAP, the ISIS affiliate in West Africa, has destroyed lives and property in Nigeria’s North and some neighbouring countries.