……Says over 124,000 B’Haram, ISWAP members, others have surrendered

BY TEDDY NWANUNOBI

The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, has disclosed that over 13,543 terrorists and other criminal elements have been killed across Nigeria since May 2023.

Ribadu, who dropped the hint on Thursday at the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Policy and Development Summit held at the State House Banquet Hall in Abuja, said that the military and intelligence agencies had made gains in ongoing counter-terrorism efforts, noting that 13,543 insurgents and criminals were killed during various operations nationwide over the past two years of President Bola Tinubu in office.

Ribadu, who was appointed the pioneer Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2003, also revealed that no fewer than 124,408 fighters of Boko Haram and its offshoot, the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), along with their family members, have surrendered to Nigerian forces and are undergoing rehabilitation through the government’s de-radicalisation and reintegration programme.

“We have, so far, recovered and destroyed 252,596 rounds of assorted ammunition.

“Our troops have neutralised 13,543 terrorists,” Ribadu said to an audience of top government officials and party chieftains.

Thursday’s disclosure comes amid Nigeria’s ongoing battle with insurgents, bandits, and separatist groups across multiple theatres of violence, from the Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast to banditry in the Northwest and North Central.

The insurgency in the Northeast, which began in 2009, has led to the deaths of over 350,000 people – both directly and indirectly, according to United Nations estimates, and displaced over two million.

Despite repeated claims of degrading Boko Haram, security agencies continue to grapple with attacks, ambushes and bombings, particularly in Borno and Yobe states.

The past two months have seen a resurgence of violence, including the killing of locals in Plateau, Benue and Borno states.

The NSA however attributed what he described as the improved security situation to enhanced inter-agency collaboration, increased investment in intelligence gathering, and political will.

The APC National Summit was convened to assess the performance of the Tinubu administration.