Troops kill 121 Boko Haram fighters, bandits in Borno, Katsina

•Herders fell six in Benue • 30,000 terrorists surrender, 500 re-integrated into communities
• FG tasks N’West states on ending terrorism • Attacks may disrupt 2023 polls, says APC chief

Troops have neutralised 100 Boko Haram/Islamic State West Africa Province terrorists while 174 have surrendered to the Nigerian military.

Director, Defence Media Operations (DMO), Maj-Gen. Bernard Onyeuko, disclosed this, yesterday, at a briefing to update newsmen on military operations across the country. His words: “Over the past weeks, the armed forces of Nigeria and other security agencies have continued to tackle the various security challenges facing the country. The briefing covered February 24 to March 10, 2022.

“Troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), within the last two weeks, sustained aggressive posture by conducting clearance operations in the fight against terrorists and other criminal elements in the theatre of operations.”
MARAUDING herdsmen have, again, killed six persons in Guma Local Council of Benue State.

The Chairman of Guma, Caleb Aba, confirming the tragedy to newsmen, yesterday, said there was no provocation. He said: “Four people were killed at Iye in Uvir council ward and two more killed around Yelwata axis.

“One cannot explain the reasons for this renewed killing because there was no provocation at all. The herders just came, attacked the people and ran back into Nasarawa. This last one happened today (Thursday) between 03:00a.m. and 04:00a.m.”

HOWEVER, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, has said that over 30,000 Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists and their families have so far surrendered in the North East.

Mustapha, who disclosed this during a stakeholders’ engagement on the current security challenges in the North West in Kaduna, yesterday, noted that threats of the separatists in the South East and South South have reduced.

Represented by Director Special Service, David Attah, the SGF expressed government’s commitment in ending security challenges ravaging the country by using kinetic and non-kinetic approach.

ALSO, the SGF said Nigeria has been grappling with a number of security challenges, which resulted in the loss of lives, displacement of several people and destruction of property worth billions of naira.

He disclosed this, yesterday, while declaring open a stakeholders’ meeting on the security challenges in the North West, held at Arewa House, Kaduna.

“The Federal Government is concerned with these challenges and has been working assiduously to reduce them to the barest minimum.
Tackling insecurity is one of the three priority areas of the present administration,” he added.

MEANWHILE, Borno State government has re-integrated 500 repentant Boko Haram members into the liberated communities. According to 2021 Global Terrorism Index, Nigeria has moved to the sixth from fourth position since 2017.

Announcing the re-integration, on Wednesday, at a dialogue on Reconstruction and Reintegration, Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, Brig-Gen. Abdullahi Ishaq (rtd), disclosed that reintegrating repentant insurgents was to enhance sustainable peace and security in the state.

FORMER Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism in Niger State, Jonathan Vatsa, has said that it will be difficult for the 2023 general elections to hold in Niger East Senatorial district, if the current insecurity in the area persists.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, while x-raying the current security situation in the state, during an interactive session with journalists in Minna, said if elections are allowed to take place in the current bad security situation in the state, “such elections can never be said to be credible.”

Niger has been plagued with insecurity for the past two years, leading to the death and kidnap of hundreds of people, including security agents.

Vatsa, a former publicity secretary of APC in the state, described as disturbing the killing of over 60 vigilantes on Monday night in Rijau, Tungan Magajiya and Sakaba, adding that the three senatorial zones of the state had being covered by the rampaging gunmen.