Director Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, on Thursday, said that troops of the armed forces have killed no fewer than 9303 terrorists within the first year of the Tinubu’s administration.
General Buba spoke at the New Conference Room of the Defence Headquarters during a joint press conference of the Strategic Communications Interagency Advisory Policy Committee (SCIAPC), coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
The Committee serves as the umbrella body for the spokespersons of all Nigerian security and response agencies, facilitating a unified and strategic communication to highlight the collective activities of the respective security agencies.
Addressing news men on behalf of the Committee, General Buba said troops of the armed forces within the last one year neutralised 9303 terrorists, arrested 6988 terrorists and their informants, as well as rescued 4641 hostages. He also noted that 9562 terrorists and their families suspended and dropped their weapons against the government.
“During the month of May 23 to Jun 24, the potency of the terrorists was largely degraded with 9,303 Terrorist neutralized, 6,988 terrorists including their logistic suppliers and informants arrested, while 4641 hostages were rescued.
“Notably, 9,562 Boko Haram/ISWAP combatant fighters and their families surrendered to security forces. In the fight against oil theft, 1,437 perpetrators were apprehended, with 363 neutralized. Additionally, 245 kidnapped hostages were rescued, leading to a marked improvement in prevention of crude oil theft.
“The joint operational environment coupled the synergy with other security and intelligence agencies greatly assisted in the optimal performance of troops in the conduct of operations,” General Buba stated.
He said the ONSA successfully hosted the High-Level Africa Counter-Terrorism Meeting that brought together African Heads of Government, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who served as the host President, the UN Deputy Secretary-General, and leaders of other key global bodies.
“The discussions during the meeting focused on stability in the Sahel Region. Overall, the discussions garnered significant commitments to combat terrorism and violent extremism. Relatedly, the Office facilitated the second leg of the UK-Nigeria security and defence dialogue, bringing together security and defence chiefs from both countries,” he said.
General Buba further noted that intelligence activities by the DSS and other Intelligence services led to several confiscations which included illegal items such as IEDs, firearms, ammunition, and dangerous psychoactive substances.
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According to him, over 21,000 pump action cartridges, 440 pump action rifles, and 228,741 rounds of ammunition were seized as a result of intelligence activities. He said the seizures prevented potential attacks on citizens and security forces.
Meanwhile, about 4,796 armed robbery suspects, 3,068 kidnap suspects, 2,474 suspects for rape/sexual crimes, and 1,213 suspects for unlawful possession of firearms were arrested by the Nigeria Police.
“3,523 suspected cultists, 3,381 suspects for murder/homicide, and 13,382 suspects for other offences. Additionally, 1,713 kidnap hostages rescued, 2,566 firearms and 19,310 rounds of ammunition recovered, along with 1,465 vehicles/motorcycles.
“Also, during the period under review, the Nigerian police prosecuted 29,052 cases. Of these, 7,675 cases were conclusively dispensed, 11,376 suspects are currently undergoing trial, 51 cases are under appeal in appellate courts, and 16,200 cases resulted in the conviction of suspects who have received various punishments for their criminal acts,“ General Buba added.
PIC 1: Major General Edward Buba while briefing journalists from different media houses.
PIC 2: A cross section of some of the Spokespersons of all Nigerian security and response agencies present at the joint press conference. (Use as display photo).
