By Victor Akaa.
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ), on Friday, announced the surrendering of notorious terrorist leaders, Yellow Jambros, Yellow Ibrahim, Gana’e Babangida and Four others, to Nigerian troops during their onslaught against terrorism.
Major General Edward Buba, Director Defence Media Operations announced this in a statement said the development is a testament to the military’s relentless efforts to root out terrorism and other security challenges in the country.
According to him, the surrender of the eight terrorist leaders is part of a larger trend of terrorist leaders and combatants surrendering to troops in the North Central theatres of operations.
He attributed this development to the military’s enhanced onslaught against the terrorists, which has weakened their operational capacity and capabilities to resist.
Major General Buba revealed that several terrorist leaders, commanders, and combatants have surrendered, with more indicating interest in doing so.
Notable terrorist leaders who have surrendered include Yellow Jambros, Alhaji Mallam, Ardo Idi (Alhaji Lawal), Lawal Kwalba, Salkado, Yellow Ibrahim, Gana’e, and Babangida, among others.
Despite this significant progress, the Director noted that the military has vowed to sustain its operational tempo to destroy or cause further surrender of terrorists.
During the week under review, troops neutralized 135 terrorists and arrested 185 persons. Additionally, 61 perpetrators of oil theft were arrested, and 129 kidnapped hostages were rescued.
In the South-South operational theatre, troops denied oil thieves the estimated sum of N889,233,020.00. Furthermore, troops recovered 113 assorted weapons and 2,415 assorted ammunition, including AK47 rifles, fabricated rifles, Dane guns, locally made pistols, and pump action guns.
The military’s efforts to tackle insecurity have also led to the discovery and destruction of 93 crude oil cooking ovens, 12 dugout pits, 37 boats, 127 drums, 41 storage tanks, and 82 illegal refining sites in the Niger Delta area.
He said troops recovered 909,800 litres of stolen crude oil, 71,060 litres of illegally refined AGO, and 13,580 litres of PMS.
The surrender of notorious terrorist leaders and commanders is a significant milestone in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria.
He said the military’s sustained efforts to root out insecurity have yielded positive results, and the country remains in a winning position in the war against terrorism.
“Overall, troops will continue to find innovative solutions in tackling the myriad of security challenges confronting the nation. We remain in a winning position in the war,” he confirmed.
