THE Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has confirmed that troops of the Armed Forces of Nigeria neutralised 92 terrorists and arrested 111 suspects, including gunrunners and oil theft collaborators, during operations conducted between February 27 and today.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, disclosed this at a news conference in Abuja, highlighting the military’s continued efforts to combat insecurity across the country. He also revealed that troops apprehended 18 individuals involved in oil theft and rescued 75 kidnapped victims.
According to Kangye, military air operations provided close air support, reconnaissance patrols, and air interdiction missions to weaken terrorist strongholds.
As part of efforts to enhance security in the North-West, the Defence Headquarters has established Operation Safe Corridor in Zamfara State. The initiative aims to rehabilitate and reintegrate repentant terrorists who voluntarily surrender their arms.
During the official handover of the operation’s headquarters in Tsafe, Zamfara, Governor Dauda Lawal reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to supporting military and security agencies in the fight against criminal activities.
The Operation Safe Corridor programme, previously successful in rehabilitating Boko Haram defectors in the North-East, is now being extended to states like Zamfara, Kebbi, Katsina, Sokoto, and Kaduna.
It is structured around five key components: disarmament, demobilisation, deradicalization, rehabilitation, and reintegration.
Security experts believe the expansion of the initiative will complement ongoing military operations, helping to reduce violence and reintegrate ex-fighters willing to abandon criminality.
