The Nigerian Defence authorities have disclosed that huge numbers of terrorists were neutralized during joint operations with the ONSA team, security agencies and hybrid forces, in less than two weeks.
During the offensives, 92 terrorists, including a Commander, by name, Abba Alai (Amirul Khalid of Alafa), were taken out of the battlefields.
18 perpetrators of oil theft were arrested, with the troops in the South South region of the country averting oil theft estimated to the tune of about Five Hundred and Twenty-One Million, Eight Hundred and Two Thousand, Three Hundred and Sixty Naira (N521,802,360.00) only.
In the same vein, the defence authorities reassured of commitment to ending the sit-at-home exercise being influenced by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and its armed affiliate, the Eastern Security Network, ESN, in the Southeast region of the country.
The defence authorities also announced a resolve of returning peace and normalcy to the region and crushing the group which has been linked to enforcing the practice.
While briefing the media on Thursday, on the progress made by the Armed Forces of Nigeria in various theatres of operations in the fight against terrorists and criminals across the country, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Markus Kangye, acknowledged that fear still keeps some residents indoors on Mondays despite the military’s ongoing efforts to end the fear.
However, he assured that security forces were making significant progress towards restoring normalcy.
Fielding a question on ending the practice that has crippled the economy of the region and restore peace and normalcy, the DMO spokesman queried, “Who gave the order? IPOB/ESN criminals.
Gen. Kangye went on, “Because of what was happening in the South-East, Operation Udo Ka was set up – just like Operation Hadin Kai in the North-East. The past three commanders in the region have worked tirelessly to encourage people to go about their normal business. However, in some areas, residents still stay home out of fear. The commanders are working hard to free the South-East from IPOB/ESN influence”.
He also defended the military’s counter-terrorism efforts amid concerns raised by the 2025 Global Terrorism Index, which ranked Nigeria sixth globally and recorded 565 terrorism-related deaths in 2024.
Kangye insisted that reports from the Nigerian military offer a more accurate account of the country’s security situation than external sources.
“Something is happening in my house; I am the head of the house; I have children, I have a wife, and then Kuma Shi (someone else) is reporting what is happening in my house to me. Which one would be more correct? The one I tell you as the head of the house or the one Kuma Shi is reporting from outside?” he queried.
He urged the media to verify and correct misleading narratives about the nation’s security landscape.
“I’m not countering what they put out there, but as observers, you should be the ones to give the correct version of what is happening in Nigeria,” the DMO spokesman said.
