……Say 9,303 Terrorists Neutralized, 9,562 Surrender to Troops
…As Police, EFCC, ICPC Secure 19,630 Convictions, Nigerian Customs Generates N4 Trillion.
Troops of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) and other security agencies involved in anti-terrorism operations have neutralized at least 9,303 terrorists and arrested 6,998 others under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration over the past year.
Director of Defence Media Operations (DMO), Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja during a joint briefing by Security, Defence, and Response agencies.
The briefing was organized by the Strategic Communications Interagency Policy Committee under the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
Gen. Buba, the first to present at the briefing attended by other spokespersons of security agencies, reported that within the review period, a total of 9,562 Boko Haram combatant fighters and their families surrendered to the troops.
Gen. Buba further added that 4,641 hostages were rescued, 1,437 suspected oil thieves were arrested, and stolen crude oil products worth N91.2 billion were recovered by troops within the same period.
“Our counter-terrorism and insurgency operations have seen troops neutralize 9,303 insurgents, arrest 6,998 individuals, and rescue 4,641 hostages. Notably, 9,562 Boko Haram/ISWAP combatant fighters and their families surrendered to security forces. In the fight against oil theft, 1,437 perpetrators were apprehended, with 363 neutralized.
Additionally, 245 kidnapped hostages were rescued, leading to a marked decrease in insurgent activities. Notable achievements in the last twelve months include the prevention of oil theft and denying criminal elements access to an estimated sum of N91,247,052,565,” said Gen. Buba.
He also reported that the Nigerian Police Force within the year arrested 4,796 armed robbery suspects; 3,068 kidnap suspects; 2,474 suspects for rape/sexual crimes; and 1,213 suspects for unlawful possession of firearms.
“The police also arrested 3,523 suspected cultists, 3,381 suspects for murder/homicide, and 13,382 suspects for other offences.
The Police rescued 1,713 kidnap victims and recovered 1,465 vehicles/motorcycles, 2,566 firearms, and 19,310 rounds of ammunition,” Gen. Buba stated.
Buba also noted that the Nigeria Police Force, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) secured a total of 19,630 convictions in the past year.
He specifically highlighted that the EFCC recovered money in various currencies from some of its suspects.
“The Police prosecuted 29,052 cases within the year and secured the conviction of 16,200 suspects. EFCC made significant progress in the fight against economic and financial crimes, securing 3,412 convictions and recovering vast sums of money in both local and foreign denominations.
The recovered amounts include N161,642,239,242.30; $43,835,214.24; £25,365.00; €186,947.10; ₹51,360.00; C$3,750.00; A$740.00; ¥74,754.00; R35,000.00; 42,390.00 UAE Dirhams; 247.00 Riyals; and 21,580,867.631 Crypto Currency,” he said.
“Key achievements and initiatives of ICPC include the recovery and forfeiture of assets, recovering over N66 billion in cash and rent on forfeited assets. Assets worth N5.882 billion were restrained, and N366.97 million was forfeited through judicial processes. Investigations and prosecutions saw 131 investigations and 18 convictions,” added Gen. Buba.
On the achievements of the Nigeria Customs, Gen. Buba reported that the agency generated about N4 trillion during the review period.
“Relatedly, the Nigerian Customs Service generated exceptional revenue of about N4 trillion (₦3,991,988,348,853.32) within the period. National security and anti-smuggling efforts led to significant seizures of contraband goods, illegal arms, and narcotics,” he stated.
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