ABUJA—Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, yesterday, disclosed that troops received intelligence that more killer herders were on their way to some communities in Benue State in different locations, mobilised and deployed to the named communities but on getting there, discovered the intelligence was faulty, only to learn the attack was elsewhere.
He added that informants from the state also provided accommodation, feeding and even women to the criminal elements, who attacked Yelewata community during which no fewer than 200 persons were killed.
He said that the informants also provided information that revealed the location and environment of the internally displacd persons, IDP Camp in Yelewata, where there was a large concentration of people resulting in the large number of those killed.
The CDS who spoke at a meeting with the media at the DHQ in Abuja, disclosed that following Mr Presidents’ directive to apprehend perpetrators of the Yelewata attacks, the military apparatus comprising the Army, Navy and Air Force as well as other security agencies were out to get the perpetrators.
He noted that the Police and other security agencies put up a brave fight and neutralised some of the criminals.
The CDS said: “When troops received intelligence that bandits were on their way to attack some communities in the state in different locations, troops mobilized and deployed to the named communities but on getting there, discovered the intelligence was not factual, only to learn the attack was elsewhere
“This is why we always say communities should provide us with information. See something and report to security agencies. The criminals were given accommodation in the community. They were given food to eat. They were even given women before the attacks, yet the security agencies were not informed.
“How did they know about the IDP Camp and the location in that community? They were teleguided by some persons in that community.”
The CDS called on the Federal Government to tackle the issue of porous Nigerian borders, declaring the the present insecurity and challenges unravelling in the Sahel states comprising Sudan, Central African Republic and Libya portray dangers to Nigeria as terrorists, bandits and arms dealers were looking to use Nigeria because they believe Nigeria is rich, with immense resources.
He said: “Those thinking that building a border fence to protect our country from these crisis infested countries and end porosity, would be too expensive should learn from countries like Pakistan, which built a border wall separating the country from Afghanistan, double border wall in a square size that is bigger than Nigeria.”
However, the CDS expressed condolences of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to the families and communities affected by the recent violent spate of attacks in Benue State.
He said: “We especially grieve with the nation over the tragic losses in Yelewata, Benue State, and other affected areas in both the southern and northern regions of our country.
“These senseless acts of violence against fellow citizens weigh heavily on our hearts. As always, we remain fully committed to ensuring that justice is served and that peace and stability are restored to all corners of Nigeria.
“These multi-faceted threats underscore the urgent need for a comprehensive, multi-dimensional and multi-disciplinary approach. In response, the Armed Forces have fully embraced the Whole-of-Society Approach: a framework that emphasises synergy among the military, government institutions and the people as a unified trinity in the fight against insecurity.”
Meanwhile the DHQ disclosed that a total of 6,260 terrorists, violent extremists, and other criminals were eliminated during joint military operations across Nigeria in the past two years.
Deputy Director of Defence Media Operations, Brig.-Gen. Ibrahim Abu-Mawashi, made the revelation, yesterday, during an expanded meeting with media executives at the DHQ in Abuja.
He stated that 14,138 terrorists and criminals were arrested, while 5,365 civilians were rescued during various operations nationwide in the period under review.
Abu-Mawashi highlighted that troops recovered hundreds of weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition across different theatres of operation.
Providing a regional breakdown, he said troops in the Niger Delta recovered stolen crude oil and other petroleum products worth N83billion, killed 103 criminals, arrested 2,760 suspects, and rescued 266 kidnapped civilians.
In the North-East, 1,246 fighters from Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, were neutralised, while 2,467 were arrested by security forces.
“The troops rescued 1,920 civilians, recovered 982 arms and 2,153 ammunition in the North East,” he said.
According to him, troops in the North-West killed 1,374 bandits, including their top commanders, which comprises Zamfara, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi and Sokoto states.
They also arrested 2,160 bandits and rescued 3,288 hostages from bandit enclaves.
He said: “The arms and ammunition recovered are 947 weapons and 25,802 rounds of ammunition, respectively.”
The DDMO said troops in the North Central killed 730 terrorists, bandits and violent extremists, and arrested 7,153 violent extremists.
He said 1,510 civilians were rescued, while 1,065 weapons and 19,709 rounds were recovered.
In Joint Task Force Southeast, Operation Udoka troops in the past two years, neutralized 440 terrorists while 1,677 criminals were arrested.
The troops rescued 294 civilians and recovered 683 weapons and 21,300 rounds of ammunition,” he said.
The Joint Task Force in Southwest killed 80 criminals and arrested 1,763 others, while they rescued 89 kidnap victims.
“Troops recovered 143 weapons and 177,904 rounds of ammunition,” the defence spokesman added.
The Director of Defence Information, Brig.-Gen. Tukur Gusau, said the event marked a significant milestone in their collective efforts to address and mitigate the complex security challenges confronting the nation.
Gusau said the programme was conceived in alignment with one of the leadership philosophies of the CDS, which is “leading a people-centric armed forces.”
He pledged the commitment of the military towards ensuring that the Nigerian public remains accurately and adequately informed about the activities, achievements and sacrifices of the armed forces.
VANGUARD.
