Troops kill 6,886 terrorists, arrest 6,970 suspects in 2023–DHQ

Chidimma Uchegbu – Abuja

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ)  said troops in 2023 eliminated over 6,886 terrorists during the ongoing counter-insurgency war in the North East and other operations across the country.

The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba disclosed this to newsmen during the end of the year press briefing in Abuja stated significant achievements which include the recovery of 100,316,600 litres of crude oil, 60,339,426 litres of AGO, 3,465,450 litres of DPK, and 3,544,990 litres of PMS in the South South Zone, addressing issues of crude oil theft and economic sabotage.

General Buba averred that the year 2023 experienced major security threats including terrorism, banditry, successionist agitations, kidnapping, oil theft, and farmers-herder clashes among other criminal activities synonymous in different geo-political zones in the country.

He stated that those security threats were predominantly caused by the proliferation of small arms and light weapons due to the porous nature of the borders and the preponderance of local arms fabrication factories in the country.

He said, that despite the threats, the military has recorded tremendous successes against the criminal elements and is determined to tackle those threats through its kinetic and non-kinetic operations.

“During the period troops neutralized 6,886 terrorists and other criminal elements. Troops arrested 6,970 suspects, rescued 4,488 kidnapped hostages as well as recovered 3,320 assorted weapons and 39,075 assorted ammunition.

The Director specifically said the North West and North Central zones were experiencing banditry and other criminalities, North East was characterized by terrorism while the South East and South South were marred with secessionist agitation by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Yoruba nation threats respectively among others.

He noted that the doggedness and troops fighting capability during operations brought relative peace in the North East which was hitherto ravaged by insurgency and terrorist activities with little or no record of troops fatality due to the enhanced training on how to detonate explosives.

According to him, there is a significant reduction in security threats in other parts of the country due to the kinetic and non-kinetic operations carried out by the military.

He explained the complex situation of those security threats, noting that the military would employ better strategic planning and fighting capability to contend with the threats, adding that troops are dominant and more focused on winning the war.

“The security situation in Year 2023 has remained fluid, complex, and dynamic with the threat morphing in form and scale. This unpredictable nature of the threat and the attendant demands for stability have continued to pose significant challenges for security forces.

“Consequently, various forces have continued to evolve Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP) to professionally respond to these threats.

“The armed forces have been developing the desired enablers to overcome the country’s numerous threats.

Notably, the application of kinetic and non-kinetic efforts in collaboration with other Services and security agencies has continued to shape the operating environment, in which we are in a dominant position.

“Additionally, attention was given to providing relevant resources to enhance troops’ capacity to defeat the threats.

“The cumulative outcome of these efforts is reflected in increased stability achieved across the various theatres of operations. Troops are in a dominant position and are winning the war,” he noted.