Boma Achenimie 
The Nigerian troops neutralized 6,886 terrorists, arrested 6,970 criminals, and 4,488 kidnapped hostages were rescued between January 2023 and December.
The Military High Command through the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba disclosed this while providing a comprehensive overview of the Armed Forces of Nigeria’s operations throughout the year in Abuja on Friday.
Speaking with newsmen, Buba admitted that the military faced diverse security challenges across the nation’s regions, including terrorism, armed banditry, kidnapping, secessionist agitations, and communal clashes.
He emphasized the significant achievements in combatting the threats with a substantial amount of weapons, ammunition, and stolen resources recovered.
“During the period troops neutralized 6,886 terrorists and other criminal elements, adding that 6,970 suspects were arrested, rescued 4,488 kidnapped hostages as well as recovered 3,320 assorted weapons and 39,075 assorted ammunition.
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Additionally, troops recovered 100,316,600 litres of crude oil, 60,339,426 litres of AGO(Diesel), 3,465,450 litres of DPK (Kerosene )and 3,544,990 litres of PMS (Fuel)”, he said.
Acknowledging the dynamic and evolving nature of security threats, Buba stressed the challenges faced by security forces and their continuous adaptation of tactics to respond effectively.
He said, “The predominant threat in the North Central (NC) and North West (NW) regions is armed banditry/terrorism while the Boko Haram Terrorists/Islamic State West African Province lingering insurgency remained the main threat in the North East (NE) region.
The major threat in the South-East (SE) and South-West (SW) was the secessionist agitations of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Yoruba Nation respectively.
“The South-South (SS) region continued to experience oil theft, cultism and youth restiveness. However, acts of criminalities such as kidnapping, armed robbery, communal clashes and cattle rustling were common across the 6 geopolitical zones.”
He commended the collaborative efforts among various security agencies and services, showcasing the application of both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies to address the multifaceted threats across geopolitical zones.
“The 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 said.
