Onanuga stated this while in an interview with journalists, saying that the operation of security operatives are often restricted by the risk of collateral damage to civilians held in captivity by bandits.

“Our people are living around where they operate. So you can’t just go there. They need to be very careful that in the course of chasing these bandits, they don’t go and bomb innocent Nigerians,” he said.

The presidential aide recalled a past incident in Borno State where the military mistakenly struck civilians.

“Some years ago in Borno State, when the military thought they had the right satellite connection, they bombed the wrong people. They must avoid that kind of mistake,” he said.

He added that uncertainty persists about the exact number of abducted students because neither the school nor the Niger State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria has provided complete records.

“As of now, the authorities are in the dark as to how many people are really missing. You said students are missing, let us have their names. Let us know what we are looking for,” he said.

Onanuga also claimed that the school principal had “disappeared”, complicating the verification process.

He further explained the reason security forces do not immediately storm bandit camps after abductions.

“What sometimes restrains them from going after them is the risk of collateral damage. They go about abducting our people and use them as a shield so that they will not be attacked,” he said.

Onanuga added that the bandits understand the consequences of defying government pressure.

Source: Punch