The Defence Headquarters has explained that the Nigerian Army did not have sufficient intelligence to avert the attacks on Plateau communities in December 2023.
Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa stated this in an interview with Channels TV on Monday, January 1, 2024 as he defended the army’s lapses.
He said terrorists selected remote areas difficult for military officers to access quickly, even when informed of ongoing attacks.
Musa described the killing of over 150 people on Christmas Eve in Plateau as shocking and unfortunate attacks intended to make President Bola Tinubu’s government “look bad.”
The Defence Chief said; “When I hear people making comments as if it was deliberate that commanders refused to react, it’s not true. One thing I want us to understand is that the general area where this incident occurred is not a small area and people question why the military was not able to react quickly.
“We all know that in war, the attacker has the initiative. They select the time and place where they carry out attacks based on the distance where you have security agencies. The truth is we cannot be everywhere.
“So when such incident happen, they pick remote areas where they know the terrain and distance is far and even communicating attacks is difficult. So before the information gets to us and before we get there, they have already done what they want to do and left.
“The military is leveraging a lot on getting technology, getting helicopter to ensure that we get enablers to make us respond as quick as possible. We assure Nigerians that’s we are sad about what happened.”
