The Nigerian military maintained its aggressive posture against terrorists and jihadists in the country in the past week, killing 286 terrorists and arresting 244 violent Islamic extremists.
The troops also rescued 122 kidnapped hostages after several gunfights in operational theatres and raids on criminal hideouts across the country.
Major General Edward Buba, the director of Abuja’s Defence Headquarters’ media operations, gave the rundown at a press briefing on Thursday.
Buba said 70 Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists were killed, 31 others arrested, and 27 kidnapped hostages were rescued in the North-East. Similar success was recorded in the North Central where 19 insurgents were neutralized, 68 violent extremists were arrested, and 13 kidnapped hostages freed.
A raid on the forest hideout of terrorist lords called Abdulkarim and Sani Black on February 15 and 16 resulted in the death of several terrorists and the destruction of their camps, Buba noted. Gen. Buba explained that a counterinsurgency cannot be defeated by military force alone, but instead by remediating economic and social conditions that motivated the criminals to use violence. “We must now win this war by changing the conditions that make the insurgents willing to fight. We must also win the war by increasing support for government at various levels through hearts and mind projects indicative of good governance,” Buba said.
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
