Nigerian troops neutralise 85 terrorists

Troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) have neutralised no fewer than 85 Boko Haram and Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists in the North East.

Also, the soldiers arrested 2,043 of the terrorists’ informants and logistics suppliers in the region, especially Zamfara State.

Briefing newsmen on the sustained operational tempo in land and air offensives against terrorists and other criminal elements in the North East theatre of war, Defence Media Operations spokesman, Brig-Gen. Bernard Onyeuko, noted that between September 2 and 30, 2021, the Armed Forces of Nigeria (SFN) sustained the upscale in the rate of operational efforts across various theatres in the country.

He noted that the heightened activities yielded significant results in the various theatres.

According to him, troops had several encounters with terrorists at different locations in Borno State.

“Cumulatively, 85 BHT/ISWAP terrorists were neutralised and 43 terrorists including their collaborators and logistics suppliers were arrested in the course of the various operations. Also, 121 assorted weapons, 12,250 bags of fertiliser and 178 rustled livestock among several other items were recovered. Furthermore, 2,783 terrorists and their families surrendered within the period under review,” he said.

SIMILARLY, over 2,000 informants and food suppliers of bandits have been arrested in Zamfara State, the Commissioner for Information, Ibrahim Dosara, has said.

According to the state government, the decision to cut off food supplies to bandits has forced them to resort to eating raw okra and grasses for survival, even as 80 per cent of them have fled to neighbouring Sokoto State.

The commissioner told journalists in Kaduna that there were highly-placed individuals in the society among the informants that had been arrested, adding that they were already providing useful information to the authorities.

Dosara said the state government set up a military operation a month ago to take the fight to the bandits in their hide-outs, pointing out that “the operation has been very effective.”

AREWA Consultative Forum (ACF) has urged Nigerians to join the Federal Government in fighting terrorism in the country, saying that the days of banditry and are numbered.

The Chairman of ACF, Chief Audu Ogbe, in a message commemorating Nigeria 61st Independence, said: “We thank Nigerians, particularly those who have kept faith in the country, even as we face what is historically the most difficult time since becoming independent.

“We thank our armed forces – the army, the police, the navy, the air force, etc – who have stood firmly behind our government to fight the twin evils of insurgency and terrorism.”