Defence Headquarters has said while gallant troops of the Armed Forces while crackdown on criminals across the country recoverering and destroying stolen petroleum products worth N604m in the South-South geo-political zone and neutralizing 58 terrorists and bandits in the entire northern parts, the Benue crisis remained a sore point until an all-inclusive approach was deployed.
Director, Defence Media Operations (DMO), Majpr-General Musa Danmadami, stated this in Abuja on Thursday, adding that the troops also apprehended 161 criminals in other highly successful operations across the country in the last fourteen days.
Major General Danmadami, who spoke at his regular bi-weekly news briefing of defence correspondents on the operations of the armed forces across the country, said that the feats were recorded in the North East, North Central and North West parts of the country.
The defence spokesman said the troops rescued 66 kidnapped victims and recovered large cache of arms and ammunition across the zones during the period, disclosing further that troops of the Joint Task Force Operation Hadin Kai in the period under review left no stone unturned in gaining the upper hand over Boko Haram and Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists and other criminals in the North East.
According to him, the troops within the period under review, went after the hoodlums neutralizing 26 terrorists including one suicide bomber while apprehending 22 terrorists’ logistics supplier, two secret spies and informants thereby capturing one fighter and 55 other criminals.
Major General Danmadami further disclosed that 16 abducted civilians were rescued while 876 terrorists and members of their families comprising of 89 adult males, 249 adult females and 538 children surrendered to the troops at different locations.
According to him, while troops also recovered several high caliber weapons, vehicles and other items across the theatre during the period, the air component conducted several air operations on terrorists’ enclaves and logistics bases thereby eliminating several terrorists.
In the North Central zone, he said troops of Operation Safe Haven and Operation Whirl Stroke, neutralized seven bandits, apprehended 35 suspected criminals and rescued 14 kidnapped civilians.
He added that several arms and ammunition as well as 403 rustled cattle, among others, were recovered during the period.
On the North West, the defence spokesman said the troops of Operation Hadarin Daji, sustained land and air offensives against terrorists and bandits in Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara while neutralizing 25 terrorists, arresting 41 suspects and rescuing 36 kidnapped victims during the period.
He added that large cache of arms, ammunition and all recovered items including suspected criminals and rescued civilians had been handed over to appropriate authorities for further action.
Meanwhile, Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has declined comment on the raging controversy over a reported attack on Iye community in Uvir council ward of Benue State. It maintained that bringing the Benue crisis to a conclusive end required more political approach than any military solution.
It would be recalled that that unknown gun men in military uniforms had on May 21, 2023 attacked Iye community in Benue State, killing at least 18 villagers including children and women prompting the community to accuse the military of being behind their ordeals.
But the Defence Media Operations spokesman at the briefing said that the military was focused on its positive achievements and not the negative aspect.
His words: “Our troops are doing a lot, we do not want to dampen their morale and dwell on the negative things that are happening. Definitely negative things happened during the period under review but we are not dwelling on them because Nigeria is moving forward as well as the Armed Forces.
“Like I told you on several occasions, we know about what is happening in Benue and to the best of my knowledge, I know that a military solution might not bring a total end to that one, it must be a political and total all government approach to the problem in Benue state.
“I want to believe that in the coming weeks, solutions are being appropriated and I am sure you will see a reduction in what is happening in Benue state as well as other areas in the country which has similar challenges.”
