Former Chief of Army Staff, retired Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai says coup should be seen as an organised crime and punished accordingly to allow democracy to survive in Africa.

He said this at a one-day International Conference on Organised Crimes by the Tukur Buratai Centre for Contemporary Security Affairs, Igbenedion University, Okada, on Tuesday in Abuja.

Mr Buratai, a former Nigerian Ambassador to the Republic of Benin, said the battle against organised crime requires concerted efforts of experts, policymakers, and stakeholders from diverse sectors.

He said the contemporary challenges had shown that the military must continue to play its constitutional role without getting involved in governance, while democratic governments should govern the citizens well.

He said the military had been at the receiving end because of the attrition rate. He added that the craving for democracy now required the military to perform its constitutional role rather than get directly involved with governance.

“The politicians and the military should try to avoid being influenced externally to disrupt the democratic process in the country,” he added.

The former army chief said the causes of organised crime in the Sahel, particularly in Nigeria, were multifaceted, adding that porous borders remained a primary contributing factor.

He also said the easy movement of criminals and illegal goods across national boundaries and the prolonged conflicts in countries like Somalia, DR Congo, Libya, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Sudan directly impacted the rise of organised crime.

“In Nigeria, organised crime has taken various forms, reflecting the country’s socio-economic challenges and political landscape,” the former army chief said.

He cited the Maitatsine insurgency in the 1980s, the Anini saga involving robberies and assassinations, kidnapping, banditry, and drug cartels as contributing to organised crimes.

Mr Buratai said the scope of organised crime in Nigeria was vast and diverse, requiring a comprehensive and multifaceted approach from law enforcement agencies and government to combat and protect citizens effectively.

According to him, Nigeria has a criminality score of 7.15 out of 1 to 10 and is ranked fifth out of 193 countries.

“It is second of 54 countries in Africa and first of 15 countries in West Africa according to the Global Organized Crime Index,” Mr Buratai said.

He added that the countries with the highest criminality levels were those experiencing conflict or fragility.

Mr Buratai cautioned that the alarming reality of ongoing criminal activities, ranging from the illicit theft of about 500 barrels of crude oil daily to the calculated displacement of communities for mining minerals, could not be ignored.

“These multifaceted crimes not only undermine the stability and well-being of affected regions but also perpetuate a cycle of violence and exploitation,” he said.

The vice chancellor of Igbenedion University, Lawrence Ezemonye, said the growing convergence and proliferation of organised criminal activities such as banditry, terrorism, human and drug trafficking, and kidnapping heightened the insecurity in Nigeria.

(NAN)