Nigeria Military Are Laser-focused On Pursuing Peace – Defence Headquarters
Princess-Ekwi Ajide Abuja
Defence Headquarters says its mission against terrorists, insurgents and perpetrators of insecurity in the country should not be seen as the exclusive preserve of just the military alone as experience has revealed that military means alone can not neutralise terrorism and insurgency.
The Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, who stated this while giving update on the ongoing military operations across the six geopolitical zones of the country, stressed the need for counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency war to remain a reflection of a whole of society’s commitment since according to him, perpetrators of the insecurity are not ghost, but have families, relations and are from villages and communities in the country.
He noted that through a whole of society approach, the military will suffocate any hope that these groups have of victory through senseless killings and dastardly acts.
According to Major General Buba, since everyone cannot be in the military, it is imperative that society show their commitment in support of the overall objective to defeat terrorism and insurgency in the country through numerous ways available to them.
Harping on the ongoing operations in the last one week, the DMO, said, the military neutralised 191 terrorists, arrested 184 terrorists, 22 perpetrators of oil theft, rescued 91 kidnapped hostages while a total of 104 Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists and their families surrendered to troops across the theaters of operation.
He disclosed that troops denied oil theft of an estimated sum of three hundred and eighty eight million, four hundred and sixty nine thousand six hundred and fifty Naira (N388,469,650.00) and also recovered 209 assorted weapons and 2,894 assorted ammunition.
Major General Buba, added that troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 38 dugout pits, 21 boats, 57 storage tanks, 3 tapping hoses, 4 drum receivers, 89 cooking ovens, 6 pumping machine, 3 outboard engines and 34 illegal refining sites adding that troops recovered 696,250 litres of stolen crude oil, 54,400 litres of illegally refined AGO and 1,200 litres PMS.
He said that the armed forces remains unperturbed by the evil machinations of these extremist groups as their tactics is a mere ploy for self-enrichment through killings saying that Nigeria military are laser-focused on pursuing peace, through the pursuit of all those who threaten the peace in the country.
