Abuja: President Bola Tinubu has announced that over 13,000 terrorists have been neutralised in the past year as part of the intensified efforts to combat insecurity across Nigeria. The announcement was made during his Democracy Day address to the nation.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the president highlighted that Nigeria has shifted from routine military training exercises with international partners to more effective precision-targeting operations against terrorist groups. He cited a recent operation in Arege, Borno, which successfully degraded a command center of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
“We have moved from training with our allies, the United States, France, and other European countries, to precision targeting. In Arege, Borno State, we degraded ISWAP’s command centre. Terror-related deaths are down by 81 per cent since 2015. Over 13,000 terrorists have been neutralised in the past year,” he stated.
The president also emphasized the Federal Government’s commitment to non-kinetic approaches in the fight against insurgency, providing opportunities for willing fighters to surrender and reintegrate into society. He reported that more than 124,000 insurgents and their dependents have laid down their arms since 2023 through the Federal Government’s Operation Safe Corridor programme.
“But we also keep the door of surrender open. Over 124,000 fighters and dependants have laid down their arms since 2023 through Operation Safe Corridor,” Tinubu added.
In a stern warning to bandits, kidnappers, and sponsors of terrorism, the president urged them to embrace peace or face the full force of the law. “To bandits, kidnappers, and sponsors of terror: surrender or face the full force of the Nigerian state. These windows of surrender will not remain open forever. No mercy will be shown to those who trade in the blood of Nigerians,” he cautioned.
President Tinubu called for unity among Nigerians in the face of security challenges, emphasizing that criminality should not be viewed through ethnic or regional lenses. “At a time like this, let us not assign blame or point fingers. Crime has no ethnicity. We must stand united and be assured that the enemies of our nation shall soon be history. We will triumph over terror and continue to build a more prosperous nation,” he concluded.