Insecurity: DHQ uncovers terrorists’ plot to blackmail military to stop enclave bombardment
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ), on Thursday, said that it had discovered a plot by terrorists and their sympathizers to blackmail the military with a view to stopping its air and artillery bombardment of their (terrorists) enclaves across all theatres of operations in the country.
The Director, of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, who disclosed this during the biweekly briefing on the operational activities of the Nigerian military and other security agencies across the federation, said that the plot was to portray some casualties as innocent citizens rather than cohorts of the terrorists.
He noted that troops had killed no fewer than 192 terrorists, arrested 341 persons, and rescued 62 kidnapped hostages within the period under review.
Buba who said that government alone could not win the war against insurgency and terrorism without the support of the populace, tasked citizens and civil society organizations to also play their roles in the challenge.
“It therefore should not be surprising, that these terrorists and their sympathisers plot to blackmail 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 terrorists. 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.
He added that being a professional force, due diligence by way of Intelligence, surveillance and recognizance is painstakingly taken to distinguish the terrorists before air strikes are conducted.
The air strikes, Buba said, had resulted in the death of several of the terrorists’ leaders and the cohorts hibernating in enclaves across the theatres of operation
The Director, of Defence Media Operations, said that the military was working decisively to kill the terrorists, dismantle their networks and create conditions whereby they would not be able to carry out acts of terrorism or harm citizens.
He noted that it was for these reasons that the armed forces would continue to hunt the leadership of the terrorist groups everywhere across the theatres of operations.
He also disclosed that a total of 122 ISWAP/JAS combatant terrorists 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), was to defeat the terrorists and their cohorts by denying them the ability to continue to fight.
