Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South, has addressed the confusion surrounding his recent remarks about an assault in Borno State, clarifying that his comments were wrongly interpreted by the public.
In a personally signed statement released on Monday in Abuja, the former Senate Leader explained that the “Buratai” he referenced during a television interview was a town in Biu Local Government Area, not the retired Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, who coincidentally shares the same name.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Sunday, Ndume expressed grave concerns over worsening insecurity in the North-East, particularly Borno State.
“We are in a dire security situation. Just two days ago, Buratai was attacked at the front operations base in Borno.
“Some soldiers responded gallantly, but the insurgents managed to destroy several military assets,” he said during the broadcast.
The senator’s comments sparked widespread speculation that the retired army chief may have been directly targeted in the attack.
But Ndume has now issued a clarification: “It was Buratai town in Borno State that was attacked, not the person of the erstwhile Chief of Army Staff.”
He went on to describe how insurgents launched a coordinated assault on a military base within the town, severely damaging critical defence installations.
“The attackers reportedly targeted high-value equipment, including Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAPVs), tanks, and machine guns,” he revealed.
According to Ndume, not only did the assailants inflict damage, but they also seized several weapons and defence tools, further weakening the military’s capacity in the region.
Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.), who hails from the same Buratai town, served as Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff from 2015 to 2021 and played a pivotal role in combating Boko Haram insurgents. Since his retirement, he has continued to be a prominent figure in national security discourse.