Former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, has revealed how he confronted the then Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai, over the military’s handling of the December 2015 crisis involving members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), also known as the Shiite movement.
Dalung made this known during an interview on Channels Television on Saturday, September 12, 2026, while recounting his reaction to the confrontation between the military and the movement in Zaria, Kaduna State.
The former minister said he could not understand what had happened and decided to visit Buratai at his office to question the military’s actions.
He said, “When these things happened, I couldn’t comprehend what actually happened. So after the unfortunate scenario, I walked to the then Chief of Army Staff General Buratai in his office and asked him, ‘General why did you have to put us into all this, this government is dealing with so many crisis. Did we need this one that you have opened a new page for us.’”
Dalung further recalled questioning why the military did not withdraw when Nigerians blocked the road, insisting that the incident could have been handled differently.
He said, “Why didn’t you reverse back if Nigerians block the road and say you cannot pass as a general. What’s the big deal, we are in democracy.”
Leave a Reply