Operatives of the Nigerian armed forces successfully neutralized, at least, 20 commanders of various bandit groups across the northern part of the country in the past year, this according to the minister of defence, Mohammed Badaru.
Badaru made the statement while presenting his ministerial scorecard and giving an update on the deliverables of the defence ministry. He also highlighted that so far, 4,641 kidnap victims have been rescued with 83,900 assorted ammunitions recovered from various armed insurgents.
He praised collaborative efforts in the military saying “the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, and the Chief of Air Staff are working together as against what it used to be. That has led to productivity and efficiency in their operations. in addition to this, we have close collaboration with the office of the National Security Adviser, the police, NSCDC, and all other security agencies.
“This has translated to tremendous progress in the last year. Because of the synergy, we were able to neutralise more than 9,300 bandits and insurgents; about 7,000 were arrested while we rescued 4641 kidnapped victims in just one year. We have also recovered 4882 assorted weapons and 83,900 assorted ammunitions in just one year. Among those that we naturalised are bandits that you hear. We have neutralised not less than 20 bandit leaders that command armies of insurgents and terrorists in just one year.”
In the Niger delta region, the minister said more than 245 captives regained freedom, while 351 illegal oil production sites were destroyed with several items recovered including 408 vehicles. The minister praised the military operations in the area which he claimed has degraded the operations of illegal bunkering syndicates.
“In our efforts to improve the production of crude oil in the country, we have been able to arrest 1437 suspects, 363 neutralised and we have freed 245 held captive in the Niger Delta region. We have destroyed 3051 dug pits, 1276 boats, and 3924 storage tanks among others. So, most of the illegal refineries are down. Many vessels have also been arrested,” he said.
Badaru also announced that the army is working closely with regional security agencies to improve the security situation within the nation’s borders, adding that the president has also supported troops to enhance their capacity through procurement and upgrades of equipment. The minister also pointed out various collaborative projects with over 50 companies in Nigeria in the production of weapons and other armour, pledged the unwavering commitment of the army in the fight against insurgency, and the protection of Nigerians.
