The senator representing Borno South Senatorial District, Ali Ndume, has raised concerns over Nigeria’s deteriorating security landscape, saying that the situation is worsening across the country’s six geopolitical zones.

This came as the lawmaker condemned a recent media misrepresentation of his remarks regarding an alleged attack on former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd).

Ndume, while clarifying reports that suggested Buratai narrowly escaped death in a Boko Haram ambush, said categorically that it was Buratai town in Borno State and not the former Army chief that was attacked by insurgents.

“The situation is getting terrible in Borno. I was referring to Buratai town, not Gen. Buratai himself. The town came under attack in front of the military operations base, and while the soldiers stood their ground, the insurgents managed to burn down some of our assets,” he said.

The senator emphasised that the destroyed assets included Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAPs), tanks, and heavy-duty weaponry—highlighting the persistent vulnerability of military installations in Nigeria’s North-East.

He, therefore, called on the media to exercise caution in reporting sensitive security matters, especially those involving politically exposed individuals or high-profile military veterans.

“I am surprised that the town Buratai could be misconstrued as the person of Gen. Buratai, who incidentally hails from the town,” he said, describing the misreporting as misleading and damaging.

Meanwhile, the former Chief of Army Staff and former Nigerian Ambassador to Benin Republic, Buratai, has also dismissed the report that he was attacked by Boko Haram terrorists in Borno.

He stated this in a statement by his spokesman and former Army spokesman, Brig.-Gen. Sani Usman (rtd), yesterday, in Abuja. Usman described the purported report of an attack on the General as “mischievous and utterly false.”

According to him, the former army chief was not attacked in any way, contrary to what has been falsely reported by some online media outlets. He berated fabricators of fake news, saying that they were not only mischievous but also deeply irresponsible and must be condemned in the strongest terms.