Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced in a televised national address on Friday that the country's military has 'neutralized' more than 13,000 'terrorists' over the past year. The statement comes as armed groups and criminal gangs continue to carry out mass attacks and kidnappings across the country.
Tinubu claimed that the death toll from Nigeria's fight against armed rebels has dropped by 81 percent since he took power in 2023. He added that '124,000 fighters and dependants have laid down their arms since 2023 through Operation Safe Corridor,' a program aimed at rehabilitating repentant armed group members who voluntarily surrender.
The speech was made to commemorate Nigeria's Democracy Day, marking the end of years of military rule and the restoration of democracy in 1999. However, despite the triumphant tone, Africa's second-largest economy is grappling with a spiraling insecurity crisis, with armed groups linked to ISIS and al-Qaeda, as well as criminal gangs, abducting citizens for ransom.
Soft targets, including schools, churches and mosques, particularly in vulnerable rural communities with limited state security presence, have been especially at risk. While armed groups initially limited operations to the country's north, they have begun spreading through thick forest corridors to attack targets in the southwest.
Officials say the groups are shifting bases due to military pressure on their locations. Following unfounded allegations of a 'Christian genocide' in the country by US President Donald Trump late last year, the US military has since begun supporting Nigeria in conducting precision strikes on armed group locations. In February, 100 American soldiers were deployed to Nigeria.
Scores of people have been abducted since January alone, including teachers and pupils as young as four years old. The latest incident in May saw 46 people kidnapped from a school in southwest Oyo state. On Monday, the Nigerian military said it rescued 360 people kidnapped by ISIS-linked Boko Haram and held in a remote mountain hideout in northern Borno State.
Source: www.aljazeera.com