Kukah: Military force alone can’t end insurgency

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah, has cautioned that Nigeria cannot defeat insurgency through military operations alone, stressing the need for soft power, reconciliation, and structural reforms.

Kukah spoke in Abuja on Thursday at the public presentation of Scars: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum, a book authored by former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor (rtd.).

According to him, decades of reliance on military doctrines and repeated counter-insurgency operations have failed to produce lasting peace because Boko Haram represents an ideology rather than just an armed threat.

“For years, we have had Operation Lafiya Dole, Operation Restore Order, Operation Hadin Kai, Operation Safe Haven, and many others.

“Yet, when one operation fails, another is launched.

“These operations have not ended the insurgency because you cannot fight an idea with weapons alone,” Kukah said.

The cleric argued that viewing the crisis strictly in military terms shuts the door to vital non-kinetic solutions.

He noted that Boko Haram’s fighters frame their struggle as a jihad, seeing death as martyrdom—making them indifferent to conventional deterrence.

“The challenge before us is not merely about defeating insurgents on the battlefield, but about understanding the soft issues of life and death.

“Guns cannot build peace; soft power must complement military power,” he added.

Kukah highlighted chapters 11 to 13 of Irabor’s book, which stress reconciliation, justice, good governance, and national healing as critical conditions for lasting security.

He commended the author’s reflections, describing them as “the writings of a priest” calling for dialogue, reforms, and moral renewal.

The bishop urged Nigeria to invest in human development, political inclusion, judicial integrity, and trust-building in institutions to address grievances that fuel extremism.

“Military operations can only create space; it is ideas and justice that will sustain peace,” he stressed.

The event was attended by former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, senior government officials, service chiefs, diplomats, and other dignitaries.