The Defence headquarters, yesterday, confirmed that combined troops of the military killed 75 terrorists, arrested 138 others, and rescued 46 kidnapped victims in the battle to rid the nation of criminal elements in the last 10 days. It also officially established Operation Safe Corridor in the North Western zone, with its headquarters located in Tsafe, Zamfara State.

The initiative aims to curb insecurity by providing a structured process for rehabilitating and reintegratin repentant terrorists who voluntarily surrender their arms.

During the official handover of office facilities that would serve as operational headquarters, Governor Dauda Lawal reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to supporting security efforts in combating criminal activities.

Operation Safe Corridor is a specialised military initiative designed to offer a pathway for former insurgents and bandits to reintegrate into the society. The operation is structured around five key components: Disarmament, Demobilization, De-radicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration.

The programme has been successfully implemented in the North-East zone, targeting Boko Haram defectors, and is now being expanded to the North-West to address the ongoing security crisis in states like Zamfara, Kebbi, Katsina, Sokoto and Kaduna.

Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, who made this known, added that the troops apprehended 36 perpetrators of oil theft, noting that in the course of the operations, gunrunners, oil theft collaborators and other violent extremists were also apprehended.

“Troops recovered 104 assorted weapons and 2,639 assorted weapons and ammunition comprising 55 AK-47 rifles, 20 locally fabricated guns, eight Dane guns, 18 pump action guns, 1,826 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 376 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 366 rounds of 7.62 by 12.7mm ammo, 26 cartridges, as well as other 14 assorted arms and 45 assorted ammunition.

“In the SS, troops foiled oil theft estimated to the tune of about Six hundred and forty-six million, one hundred and eighty-nine thousand, six hundred and ninety Naira,” he added.