The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) said troops killed 1,487 terrorists and insurgents, rescued 777 kidnap victims and arrested 354 suspects abductors during nationwide military operations conducted between July and August.
Defence spokesperson, Samaila Uba, disclosed this on Tuesday during a security briefing at the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC).
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While presenting the military’s operational assessment for the two-month period, Mr Uba said troops carried out 7,062 operations targeting terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery and attacks on communities across the country.
The operations were conducted in Borno, Yobe, Taraba, Katsina, Kwara, Zamfara, Sokoto, Plateau, Benue, Niger, Oyo and Kaduna states, among others, he said.
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According to him, the coordinated offensives combined land, air and maritime assets in clearance operations, intelligence-led raids, rescue missions and targeted arrests against terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, arms traffickers, oil thieves and other criminal elements.
“In total, 7,062 security operations were conducted. A total of 1,487 terrorists and insurgents were neutralised, 354 suspects were arrested, while 777 kidnapped victims were successfully rescued,” he said.
The military spokesperson also reported that 93 security personnel and 249 civilians were killed during the period.
Troops recovered 991 firearms, 1,331 rounds of ammunition and several improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which were safely detonated.
The military spokesperson said one of its major achievements during the review period was the rescue of hundreds of kidnapped victims from terrorist enclaves.
It added that troops “neutralised” 309 Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters, arrested 354 suspects and recovered 44 IEDs during counter-terrorism operations.
The operations also led to the recovery of weapons, motorcycles and livestock, while several terrorist operational bases were dismantled.
Non-kinetic operations
Beyond combat operations, the military spokesperson said the military undertook nine dialogue and peace-building initiatives and held 15 stakeholder engagement meetings with traditional and religious leaders.
He added that 137 press statements were issued during the period, while 13 cases of misinformation were identified and countered.
Mr Uba said no major border or transnational security incidents, prison breaks or attacks on critical national infrastructure, including pipelines, railways and highways, were recorded during the review period.
The military spokesperson attributed the operational successes to joint military operations, inter-agency collaboration and community support, urging Nigerians to continue providing timely and actionable intelligence to security agencies.
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He also thanked President Bola Tinubu for providing logistical support and strategic guidance to strengthen military operations, while urging the media to support ongoing security efforts through accurate, balanced and responsible reporting.
Since the Boko Haram uprising in 2009, Nigerian troops including the police have been actively engaged in operations against terrorists across the country.
The Boko Haram insurgency has spilled to other parts of the country including North-west and North-central where banditry, resource-based conflict and other security threats continue to destabilise the region.
The war which has now lingered for 17 years is now spreading to the South where jihadists kidnapped schoolchildren and their teachers.
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