By Linus Aleke, Abuja
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ), on Thursday, said that it has uncovered plan by terrorists and their sympathizers to blackmail the military to stop its air and artillery bombardment of terrorist enclaves across all theatres of operations in the country.
Major General Edward Buba, Director Defence Media Operations, made this disclosure, during the biweekly briefing on the operational activities of the Nigerian military and other security agencies, across the federation.
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He further noted that nation and not the military goes to war.
Noting that the government alone cannot win the war against insurgency and terrorism without the support of the populace, Gen Buba, tasked citizens and civil society organizations to also play their role in the war against terror.
He noted that troops killed no fewer than 192 terrorists, arrested 341 persons, and rescued 62 kidnapped hostages, within the period under review.
Speaking on the planned blackmail, Gen. Buba said: “It therefore should not be surprising, that these terrorist and their sympathisers plot on blackmailing the military as a result of the ongoing military air strikes. The plot is to depict some casualties as innocent citizens rather than cohorts of these terrorist. It is therefore important for the media to be wary of the antics of these terrorist groups and their sympathisers. Our operations have prevented these evil elements from accomplishing their strategic objectives”.
He said that being a professional force, due diligence by way of Intelligence, Surveillance and Recogniance is painstakingly taken to distinguish the terrorist before air strikes are conducted.
These air strikes, he said, have resulted in the death of several of these terrorist leaders and the cohorts hibernating in enclaves across the theatres of operation
The Director, Defence Media Operations, said that the military is working decisively to kill the terrorist, dismantle their networks and create conditions whereby they cannot carry out acts of terror or harm citizens.
He noted that it is for these reasons that the armed forces would continue to hunt the leadership of these terrorist groups everywhere across the theatres of operations.
He also disclosed that a total of 122 ISWAP/JAS combatant terrorist surrendered with their family members, while troops arrested 37 perpetrators of oil theft.
Gen. Buba added that troops denied oil theft of an estimated sum of Eight Hundred and Twenty One Million Two Hundred and Forty Eight Thousand, Seven Hundred and Forty Naira.
He said that troops, also recovered 349,970 litres of stolen crude oil, 112,135 litres of illegally refined AGO, 7,560 litres of DPK and 13,000 litres of PMS.
He concluded that the objective of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN), is to defeat the terrorist and their cohorts by denying them the ability to continue to fight.
