Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has said that members of the Nigerian armed forces, if properly funded and motivated, are capable of winning the war against terrorism and banditry in the country without foreign intervention.

He also called on Federal Government not to let US President Donald Trump to promote religious war in Nigeria.

Falana, who expressed regret that terrorists, as seen in their videos, appeared better equipped than members of the country’s armed forces, charged the Federal Government to adequately equip the military for victory in the war.

The senior advocate, who spoke in a chat with journalists in his Ilawe Ekiti hometown on Saturday, bemoaned how some known figures in the country stole funds meant for the purchase of arms and ammunition.

He urged the Federal Government to put in place a mechanism for the recovery of such funds and ensure they are used for their original purpose.

Falana said, “If the members of the armed forces are well equipped and motivated, they can deal with terrorism and banditry.

“But as a result of the neglect of vital security institutions over the years, the ragtag armies of criminal elements are winning the war on terror. It is a shame.”

The senior advocate, who lamented the role of corruption in the fight against insecurity, queried, “How do you fight terrorism in an environment where the money budgeted for the procurement of arms and ammunition is stolen by well-known criminal elements in society?

“The money earmarked for the procurement of arms and ammunition was stolen by a coterie of military officers and their civilian collaborators. The courts are not helping, as they hide under dubious technicalities to free indicted criminals who stole billions of naira in procurement funds.”