Defence Headquarters has released data on its successes last month, detailing significant gains by the Nigerian Armed Forces across various frontlines.

According to the figures posted on its social media handles, it said a total of 197 insurgents surrendered to troops within the period under review, indicating sustained pressure on armed groups and ongoing efforts to encourage defections.

The military also recorded the arrest of 1,359 suspects, comprising terrorists, criminals, illegal miners, and informants, reflecting intensified intelligence-led operations and coordinated raids nationwide.

In addition, the Defence Headquarters said troops killed 103 terrorists and other criminals, including identified ring leaders such as “Saddam, Saleh Garin Kago, and Ba Alayi Benbeng.”

It noted that the operations targeted key figures believed to be responsible for violent attacks.

On the humanitarian front, 813 kidnapped hostages were rescued. The report further revealed that 104 illegal refining sites and related infrastructure were destroyed as part of ongoing crackdowns on oil theft and environmental crimes in the Niger Delta.

Recovered items during the operations included 216,570 litres of illegally refined petroleum products and 254 weapons, ammunition, and other supplies, pointing to the scale of illicit activities disrupted by the military.

Since the start of the year, the Defence Headquarters has consistently propagated troops’ operational gains — a strategy also widely adopted by terror groups across the Sahel, including those operating in Nigeria.

In a scorecard released in January, it said troops rescued 277 kidnapped victims, including some foreign nationals, while 53 illegal refining sites were destroyed. In the Niger Delta, security forces recovered 210,300 litres of crude oil, 66,725 litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and 5,000 litres of refined petroleum products.

SIMILARLY, Minister of Budget and Planning, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, has submitted that to defeat insurgency and other forms of violent crime in the country, its youthful population must understand the drivers of conflict.

Speaking at a workshop to revise the first-ever National Action Plan on Youth, Peace and Security in Abuja, the former Kebbi State governor identified convoluted and senseless religious messaging, as well as a lack of understanding of the drivers of conflict among other factors, as reason violent extremism has continued to persist despite coordinated efforts by government and other relevant stakeholders to address both its immediate and root causes.

He wondered how AK-47 rifles and other weaponry found their way into the hands of non-state actors, even though the country does not manufacture such weapons.

To tackle the identified challenges, the minister advocated using the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) as a platform to enlighten young people on the primary and secondary drivers of conflict in the country, with a view to permanently addressing the issues.

Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, said the workshop provided an opportunity to reflect on how far Nigeria has progressed in implementing the National Action Plan on Youth, Peace and Security, and to explore ways of advancing it.

Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Maryam Keshinro, said the workshop formed part of a framework designed to engage young people in frontline roles as vanguards of peace and security.

Earlier, the Global Director of Children and Youth Programmes at Search for Common Ground, Saji Frelis, revealed that Nigeria was the first country in Africa to develop a National Action Plan (NAP) on Youth, Peace and Security, adding that the current meeting to produce a second plan is forward-looking.