Troops Killed 6,886 Terrorists In 2023- Musa

By Favour Ifeoluwa & Akinola Ajibade

The Defence Headquarters says its has achieved tremendous success  against terrorists, bandits and other criminal suspects across the nation in the year 2023 

The Army Chief of Defence Staff(CDS), Major General, Christopher Gwabin Musa, said this in Abuja,  during the end of year briefing on troops operational activities from January to December 2023.

Represented by the Director,  Defence Media Operation (DMO), Major General Edward Buba, Musa noted that major security threats within the year 2023 were terrorism, armed banditry, kidnapping, oil theft, secessionist agitations and farmers-herders clashes.”

He said “Troops neutralized 6,886 terrorists and other criminal elements in the outgoing year. They arrested 6,970 suspects, rescued 4,488 kidnapped hostages as well as recovered 3,320 assorted weapons and 39,075 assorted ammunition.

He said the troopsv recovered 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 Petrol Premium Spirit ( PMS). 

Adding that: “Threats of  dynamics were however defined along geo-political zones with some permeating across the regional lines. 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.

“It is pertinent to point out that most security threats in the country were fueled by the proliferation of small arms exacerbated by the influx of illegal arms and ammunition through our porous borders and the preponderance of local arms fabrication factories in the country.

“Thus, the armed forces kinetic and non-kinetic efforts were geared towards tackling these threats in all the geo-political zones.”

He noted:”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 has been developing the desired enablers to overcome the country’s numerous threats.”