Military cautions against celebrating terrorists, vows troops won’t rest until hostages returned

“Consequently, if you find yourself celebrating terror, you’re wrong. Pure and simple”, The Nigerian Armed Forces has urged. Making this caution on Thursday in Abuja, while briefing the media on the successes of the Nigerian troops in the various theaters of operation across the country, the Director of Defence Military Operations (DMO), Major General Edward Buba said, “As patriotic citizens, we must resist the temptation to celebrate post from terrorist and enemies of the state.

“These are not good people, rather they are devils from the pit of hell”. General Buba who spoke against the background of recent abduction of school pupils in Kaduna, Sokoto and Borno states, however assured that the troops would not relent in ensuring the hostages were rescued and returned.

Speaking in a similar vein in the bi-weekly media briefing, the director revealed that the response time by the troops has been slow, explaining it was caused by delayed notifications by the community members where the abduction occurred.

Buba noted while fielding questions that in most cases, delayed notifications hampered military’s quick intervention in hostage situations. But the military is winning the war against terror, the director insists.

He said, “We are winning the war and making life unbearable for these terrorist.

“We continue to degrade them each passing day.

“We have seriously depleted their ranks to the extent that they are on a desperate recruitment drive, hence some of the witnessed abductions.

“Several of their leaders and commanders have been neutralised as a result of troops onslaught”.

He also informed that the terrorists have changed their strategy and now using the hostages as human shield.

He said, “They want to use these hostages as human shield for their survival. Nevertheless, be assured that we will not rest until the hostages are returned”.

In the meantime, highlight of the troops’ successes in the last two weeks, included 213 neutralised terrorists, 216 arrested suspected terrorists.

In addition, 67 perpetrators of oil theft were apprehended, and 26 kidnapped hostages were rescued. The director said, the military also prevented the theft of an estimated N1.5 billion worth of crude oil in the South-South region.

Furthermore, the armed forces recovered a significant cache of weapons and ammunition, including 111 AK-47 rifles, 31 fabricated guns, 2,766 rounds of live ammunition, and 44 motorcycles, among other items.

He went on to say that the aim of the military in ongoing counterinsurgency war is the enduring defeat of terrorist groups across the country and the dismantling of their military capabilities, such that they can no longer terrorize or hurt citizens.