2024 In Review: Armed Forces Successes Indicative Of Terrorists’ Defeat In 2025
By Anne Osemekeh, Abuja
The Military High Command has averred that the many successes it witnessed against terrorists in the outgoing year are indicative of a major defeat of the terrorists in 2025.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj Gen Edward Buba, said this on Tuesday while briefing defence correspondents on the operations of the Armed Forces from January to December 2024, adding that troops in the battlefield are in high spirits, fully committed, devoted, believe in the justness of the cause, and will be going the extra mile in the new year to get the job done.
Over the last 12 months, he said, troops were confronted by several threats across the country ranging from armed banditry, kidnapping for ransom, crude oil theft, violent extremism, insurgency as well as terrorism among others. These threats adversely affected innocent citizens and disrupted peace and security in the country.
Consequently, troops war effort was designed and crafted to defeat and destroy the terrorists as well as dismantle their terror infrastructure across the country. Accordingly, troops sustained relentless, and painful pressure on the terrorist enclaves, hideouts and strongholds as an incentive to defeating the terrorists.
During the year, troops eliminated over a thousand notable terrorist leaders, commanders and combatants among others. Some of those eliminated in the course of the year include: Dutse Mainasara Idda, Mallam Saleh Umaru,
Mohammed Amadu, Chinemerem (aka Bam Bam), Jeremiah Uzuoma (aka Escoba), Tochukwu Awo (aka Ojoto) and Egwuatu amongst others.
During the year, troops
significantly degraded the military and fighting capabilities of terrorists by neutralizing 10,937 terrorists, arresting 12,538 and rescuing 7,063 hostages. Furthermore, they recovered 8,815 weapons, 228,004 ammunitions and denied the oil theft of an estimated N68,453,376,040.00.
These successes were achieved in the various theatres of operation across the geopolitical zones of the country.
Northeast: Operation HADIN KAI
Troops of OP HADIN KAI fought intensely against the terrorists all through the year, invading terrorist hideouts, strongholds and enclaves to flush them out and destroy where they were hibernating. Offensive operations conducted to known terrorist safe havens such as the Sambisa Forest, Timbuktu Triangle as well as the Tunbums along the Lake Chad Basin, led to the surrender of several terrorist leaders and combatants along with their families as a result of the intensity of troops’ operations.
The operations saw to the neutralisation of several BH/ISWAP/JAS terrorists commanders including: Amir Garin Manzo, Hussaini Ardo, Abu Mhammed, Buba Kachalla Bukar, Abu Rijab, Ali Modu, Munzur Ya Audu, Abdullahi Maishayi, Abba Tukur, Abu Sule, Ari Gana, Mallam Mohamadu, Jibrila Ahmadu and Saidu Hassan Yellow amongst others. Additionally, troops rescued kidnapped hostages and arrested suspected BH/ISWAP terrorists collaborators.
Overall, from January till date, troops of Operations HADIN KAI neutralized 3,151 terrorists, arrested 2,503 suspects and rescued 1,605 kidnapped hostages. Additionally, troops recorded 16,171 surrendered BH/ISWAP terrorists combatants and their families.
The summary of recovered items include: 1,802 AK47 rifles, 446 fabricated rifles, 438 dane guns, 378 assorted arms, 42,439 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 16,336 rounds of 7.62mm NATO and 12,429 assorted ammunitions.
NorthCentral: Operation SAFE HAVEN
Troops of Operation SAFE HAVEN significantly restored peace in the Plateau through their operations which resulted in the neutralisation of several terrorist and violent extremist leaders, commanders and combatants. Some of these are: Adamu Usman, Mohammed Sani, Kawu Hamman, Mallam Abubakar Mohd, Mallam Yau Adamu, Emmanuel Pam Dung, Isah Ishiyaku, Abubakar Maijaki, Mohammed Yuro, Mohammed Ardo, Auwal Baba, Allama Bibah Umma, Wetti Alhaji Ibrahim, Dahiru Idi (AKA Yellow), Usman Abdulkadir and Maikudi Danweri amongst others.
Troops also rescued several kidnapped hostages and arrested suspected violent extremists as well as gunrunners. The offensive posture of troops secured the release of several kidnapped hostages and significantly curtailed the activities of terrorists and violent extremist operating in the theatre of operation.
Overall, troops of Operation SAFE HAVEN neutralized 447 violent extremists, arrested 1,995 and rescued 1,094 kidnap hostages. They also recovered 254 AK-47 rifles, 321 fabricated guns, 314 assorted arms, 19,577 rounds of 7.62mm special, 2,962 rounds of 7.62mm NATO and 1,805 assorted ammunitions.
NorthCentral: Operation WHIRL STROKE
Troops of Op WHIRL STROKE sustained their operations all through the year in Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa states, significantly delivering damages to the terrorists’ fighting capabilities.
Troops hunted the terrorists and destroyed them in areas in which they were hibernating, arrested several notorious gunrunners, kidnappers and terrorist collaborators. Accordingly, the terrorists were denied the ability to carry out major offensives to harm citizens.
Notably, troops onslaught largely degraded the potency of violent extremists and neutralized several of their notable leaders including: Rimamy (aka Omo), Terkimbi Injoko, Jacob Uzege, Abdulkadir Yaya, Kingsley, Mathew Tersee, Ali Ibrahim, Yusuf Musa, Usman Umar and Isiah Ioraa.
Additionally, troops arrested suspected gunrunning kingpins like Paul Hammeza, Aondowase Tyoue, Salisu Nasiru, Lomina Bisala, Manuka Sunday, Bulus Ibrahim, Tisen Markus, Markus Grace and Ali Tambaya. They also rescued kidnapped hostages.
On the whole, troops of Operation WHIRL STROKE neutralized 600 terrorists, arrested 1,006 suspects and rescued 688 kidnapped hostages. They also recovered 295 AK-47 rifles, 315 assorted arms, 13,055 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 2,849 rounds of 7.62mm NATO and 2,279 rounds of assorted ammunition.
NorthWest: Operation HADARIN DAJI
Troops of Operation HADARIN DAJI continued all through the year to create a conducive and stable security environment for agricultural activities and other forms of socio-economic activities in Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara states in the Northwest, and Niger state in the Northcentral geopolitical zones.
The activities of the gallant troops instigated rival clashes for supremacy among the terrorist groups leading to the death of several terrorist commanders in battle. Also, the synergy between the security agencies and intelligence agencies further resulted to the neutralisation of several terrorist kingpins including: Isiya Boderi, Alhaji Mubale, Baban Yara, Alhaji Kabiru, Lawali Gudau AKA Damina, Buhari Alhaji Halidu AKA Buharin Yadi, Nagala Jabbi, Audu Kalwa, Muhammad Sani AKA Peter, Dan Hajiya, Ga’aye, Akwanga, Bala Gurgu, Yellow, Kucheri and Babban Mutum amongst others.
In total, troops of Operation HADARIN DAJI in the course of the year neutralized 2,906 terrorists, arrested 1,826 suspects and rescued 2,616 kidnap hostages.
Additionally, they recovered 1,450 AK47 rifles, 477 fabricated guns, 576 assorted arms, 31,999 rounds of 7.62mm special, 14,960 rounds of 7.62mm NATO and 6,564 assorted ammunitions.
Northwest: Operation WHIRL PUNCH
Troops of Operation WHIRL PUNCH delivered significant damage to the terrorist military capabilities all through the year, with their sustained onslaught resulting in the terrorists surrendering to troops.
The tenacity of the troops as well as the intensity of their operations led to the elimination of several violent extremists and terrorist kingpins including: Boderi Isiya, Buhari Yadi, Mr Rilwanu Ahmad, Mr Jamilu Samaila, Tukur Sharme, Kachalla Dan Mani Na Inna, Kachalla Basiru Zakarriya, Sani Baka Tsine, Inusa Zagon Kuzi, Ibrahim, Tukur and Mr Aminu Hassan AKA Ja’e amongst others
Overall, troops of Operation WHIRL PUNCH neutralized 742 terrorists, arrested 1,877 suspects and rescued 595 kidnap hostages.
They equally recovered 364 AK-47 rifles, 302 assorted arms, 12,422 rounds of 7.62mm special, 5,991 rounds of 7.62mm NATO and 2,818 assorted ammunitions.
Southsouth: Operation DELTA SAFE
In the Niger-Delta region, troops of Op DELTA SAFE maintained the momentum against the activities of crude oil theft, as they continued to find and destroy illegal refining sites, and arrest the perpetrators of economic sabotage. It is worthy of note that troops’ operations spiked the nation’s daily crude oil production to almost 2 million barrels per day.
It will be recalled that President Bola Tinubu had, in July, given marching orders to the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, to curb the menace of crude oil theft and vandalism in the Niger/Delta area in the shortest possible time.
Consequently, the CDS vowing to eliminate all acts of vandalism and other forms of criminalities in not just the Niger Delta region alone, but the entire Southsouth, read the riot act to all security heads of Operation Delta Safe in the Niger Delta region. This is after the Armed Forces of Nigeria, in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and other security agencies, declared a fresh war on perpetrators of oil theft in the region to improve oil production and revitalise the nation’s ailing economy.
During the course of the year, troops of Operation DELTA SAFE neutralized 78 terrorists, arrested 2,357 persons involved in crude oil theft and rescued 93 kidnapped hostages.
They also denied the oil theft of 56,223,002 litres of crude oil, 9,735,836 litres of AGO, 95,595 litres of DPK and 156,527 litres of PMS. They recovered 538 assorted weapons, 13,198 assorted ammunition and destroyed 2,019 wooden boats as well as 2,612 illegal refining sites.
SouthEast: Operation UDO KA
The southeast, ravaged by elements of the dreaded and proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and their Easter Security Network (ESN) cohorts, was not left out in the activities of troops who sustained the momentum against these terrorists as well as oil theft in the region.
The operations of troops led to several IPOB/ESN terrorists being intercepted and arrested alongside several terrorist collaborators, gun runners and informants, whose cooperation with security forces is leading to the hideouts of other terrorists and criminals.
In all, during the course of the year, troops of Op UDO KA neutralized 734 terrorists, arrested 974 suspects and rescued 372 kidnap hostages.
Additionally, they recovered 167 AK-47 rifles, 259 pump action guns, 9,004 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 2,347 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammo, 6,103 live cartridges, 246 assorted arms and 3,281 assorted ammunition.
Buba said that troops are focussed on increasing deliverables for the benefits of citizens, and seeking to sustain heightened collaboration with neighbouring countries and regional bodies in order to tackle the menace of terrorism.
He however noted that “the war is not for the Armed Forces alone, but for all citizens”, and urged citizens for more support in order to win the war.
