By JOHN NWOKOCHA, Editor, Abuja
The Nigerian military recorded monumental successes in the ongoing counterterrorism fight across various theatre of operations by the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) in February. The success highlights the unwavering determination of troops to defeat terrorists and ensure that peace and stability prevail.
The troops therefore denied the terrorists the freedom of attack, eliminated several and dismantled their logistic networks. In the month under review, troops across different theatre of operations rescued 430 kidnap victims, including teenage abductees, destroyed about 32 illegal refineries in South South axis of Nigeria.
Gallant troops additionally arrested about 248 suspected terrorists. Due to heavy and sustained troops’ assault conducted by the OPHK in the Northeast terrorist fighters particularly, Boko Haram, ISWAP and JAS sects had their schemes disrupted, thrown into disarray, while some fled. Following the sustained crackdown troops’ firepower forced several criminal elements relocating away from hideouts like Sambisa, their former safe haven, underscoring troops’ dominance of the general area of responsibility.
Fighting troops combined kinetic strikes with non-kinetic initiatives to record the strides during the month in reference.
“Troops have shown extraordinary resilience and unwavering effort and successes across diverse operational theatres”, Major General Michael Onoja said.
Briefing Defence Journalists on Friday at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja, Onoja who is the Director of Defence Media Operation, said the AFN intensified its multi-domain operations, leveraging advanced intelligence, inter-agency collaboration, and community partnerships to dismantle threats posed by terrorists, kidnappers and economic saboteurs in the month of February.
The Director further said troops across all theatres maintained aggressive, intelligence-led and coordinated land, air and maritime operations, relentlessly confronting terrorists, armed bandits, kidnappers, and other criminal elements that threatened national peace and stability.
“These sustained efforts have delivered significant gains, including the neutralization of hostile actors, recovery of substantial caches of arms and ammunition, successful rescue of kidnapped victims, disruption of illicit networks, and progressive restoration of civil authority in previously disturbed areas”, he maintained.
Maj Gen Onoja went on to say that AFN personnel have consistently demonstrated exceptional professionalism, discipline and strict adherence to the rules of engagement and international humanitarian standards, he added, “even in the face of evolving and complex threats”.
Answering a question about the United States of America and Nigeria Defence Cooperation during the interactive session, Onoja said the relationship has added value to the fight against terrorism. He added that the training offered by US service personnel has bolstered the fighting spirit of troops, disclosing that the outcomes in the coming months will excite Nigerians.
Onoja also expressed confidence in the troops’ exploits across diverse operations, assuring that terrorists would be degraded, and peace and stability fully restored.
For more than two decades Nigeria faced violent insurgency led mainly by Boko Haram and its splinter faction, ISWAP in the northeast region of the country. The conflict, which escalated in 2009, has claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced millions, and severely disrupted livelihoods across Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states. In the northwest, northcentral, Southeast and Southsouth the country has witnessed extreme violence orchestrated by armed groups, kidnapping for ransom increasing and criminal elements operating nearly relentlessly, posing great security threats.
Over the past years the Nigerian military has sustained military offensives that have degraded insurgent capabilities and reclaimed territory.
The US Nigeria Defence synergy demonstrates the commitment by the Federal government to confront the threats and ensure complete return to normalcy and promote economic prosperity by the same token.
