Tag: military

The Defence Headquarters has said that its troops are winning the war against terrorists and oil thieves, saying they have killed and captured the criminals’ leaders and facilitators in several operations across the country.

It said troops operations have also denied terrorists, insurgents, and oil thieves safe havens, by destroying their command and control centres and training facilities.

The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba disclosed this in a statement on Friday, October 20.

Buba said: “Accordingly, the insurgents and terrorists are in perpetual mourning as they constantly bury their dead and would continue to do so. 

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“Our communities across the country have risen to the occasion in exposing these elements and it is making a tremendous impact on operations as they no longer have a hiding place.

“The actions and activities of the armed forces in the ongoing counter-insurgency and counter-terrorist operations are integral to the plan of focusing military pressure on these terrorists and extremists to cause them to submission.

“The operations are yielding desired results ranging from denying safe havens to these groups to the destruction of their command and control facilities as well as training facilities.”

“The military is in a good fight and is winning in this war. Our operations have killed or captured several terrorist and insurgent leaders as well as their facilitators and key associates.”

The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, says Nigerians expect a lot from members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria in ensuring their safety and wellbeing.

He said with such expectation, the personnel of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) could not afford to let Nigerians down.

Abubakar said this during a meeting of operation commanders, commandants of NAF training institutions, and other senior officers.

He urged the senior officers to use the period of the meeting to develop strategies that could improve NAF operations, enhance its logistics support systems and maintenance practices, and ensure the serviceability of air assets.

The NAF chief said the NAF has started taking delivery of additional air assets purchased by the Federal Government. He added that recently received the two remaining Diamond-62 Multi-Purpose Platforms at a ceremony held in Ilorin, Kwara State.

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Abubakar said that NAF’ would soon begin the induction of new platforms, adding that their induction would add “considerable impetus to NAF operations in dealing with insurgents, terrorists and other criminal elements plaguing our Nation.”

He then placed on record NAF’s commitment to work in synergy with other security agencies, towards achieving its mandate.

Earlier, the Chief of Policy and Plans, Air Vice Marshal Sayo Olatunde, the senior officers to continue to see themselves not just as commanders or commandants but also as leaders, managers, and mentors to their subordinates.

According to him, command confers on them the authority and responsibility to effectively utilize available resources and to plan, organize, direct, coordinate, and control their forces for the accomplishment of assigned tasks.

He said: “It also means you are responsible for the health, welfare, morale and discipline of your personnel.”

 Olatunde also urged commanders to always influence their subordinates by providing purpose, direction, and motivation with a view to accomplishing the assigned mission and improving the Service.

The 2-day meeting entails lectures on unit administration, command responsibilities, CAS command philosophy, and a review of ongoing counterinsurgency and counter-terrorism operations.

The Akwa Ibom state government has donated fourteen new patrol boats to aid the military in combating crime in the state’s waterways.

The boats are to be complemented with the installation of machine guns and designation of military personnel to man the boats.

Governor Umo Eno said the gesture was part of the state’s partnership with the Nigerian Army to tackle criminality in the Niger Delta region.

The deal was sealed when Governor Eno hosted the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, who paid a courtesy visit to the Governor at Government House, Uyo as part of his working tour of military formations and units under the Nigerian Army 6 Division.

Welcoming the Chief of Army Staff to the State, the Governor lauded the Nigerian Army for working hard and in synergy with other security agencies to keep the State safe.

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He pointed out that his creation of the Ministry of Internal Security, headed by a retired Army General, indicates his administration’s premium on security to ensure a more coordinated partnership with the security agencies.

He therefore assured of the state’s commitment to work with the Chief of Army Staff and collaborate in other areas of mutual needs for overall peace and stability in the state in particular and the nation in general.

Earlier, the Chief of the Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, said his tour of the military formations in the region was to ascertain their locations, assess their activities and state of readiness for required operations.

He described his reception in the state as exceptionally warm and acknowledged the support of the State Government to the Nigerian Army 2 Brigade stationed in the State, by extension the 6 Division covering the South-South region.

The Defence Headquarters says it will continue to be ahead of terrorists and extremist groups’ tactics and nip-in-bug any of their deadly acts against the national economy and citizenry.

It also said that its troops will continue to discover and destroy terrorists and insurgents safe heaven across the country.

The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba said this during a media briefing at the DHQ on Thursday, October 12.

He said some of the safe havens hibernated by terrorists share boundaries with other countries, thereby making military operations more complex.

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The Defence spokesperson, however, said the military and other security agencies were doing all they could to invade the hideouts and bring the terrorists and insurgents to their kneels.

He said: “These safe havens in effect provided a support base for insurgent activities. These safe havens provide the flow of funding, material, weapons, fighters, command, and control that supports terrorism and insurgency confronting us.

“There are safe havens spread across various theaters ranging from the tumbuns in the North East to other locations such as national parks, game reserves, and forests across the country.

“The military has identified several of these safe havens and operations are targeted towards ensuring that they are completely dismantled.”

“Recently, one of the safe havens in Aku Forest in Okigwe local government area of Imo State in the southeast was invaded. Troops found unspeakable and unprintable activities going on in the camp. These extremists are cannibals feasting on fellow humans and slaughtering them for other devilish acts.”

He urged the public to always report any suspicious individuals to the security agencies.

“When citizens see something and report it to us, it enables us to address some of the security challenges confronting the country. The citizens must help the military and security agencies to better secure the country against terrorists and other criminals.”

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has again called on the citizenry to be part of the federal government’s efforts to defeat terrorism, insurgency, and other criminalities in the country.

It said fighting against adversaries of the state is a collective responsibility, which should not be seen as an exclusive preserve of the military.

The military high command said this on Thursday, September 28, in a statement issued by Maj. Gen Edward Buba, the Director of Military Media Operations at the DHQ, Abuja.

The DHQ said perpetrators of insecurity are members of the society and, hence can be defeated through a whole society approach.

The statement read: “Our mission against terrorists, insurgents, and perpetrators of insecurity in the country is not one that should be seen as the exclusive preserve of just the military alone. Experience reveals that military means alone cannot neutralize terrorism and insurgency.

“This underscores the need for our counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency war to remain a reflection of a whole of society’s commitment. The perpetrators of the insecurity are not ghosts, they have families, and relations and are from villages and communities in the country.

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“Through a whole-of-society approach, we will suffocate any hope that these groups have of victory through senseless killings and dastardly acts.

“Indeed, while we all are from one locality or another, not everyone can be in the military. Recognising this, there are several ways society can show its commitment in support of the overall objective to defeat terrorism and insurgency in the country.

“Importantly, such a commitment should reflect and align with the will of the people.”

The military high command said troops remain unperturbed by the evil machinations of terrorists and insurgents, as “their nefarious tactics have been exposed for what it truly is, which is a mere ploy to self-enrichment through killings.”

The DHQ said: “Accordingly, our message to these individuals and groups, is that we have clocked your game and are laser-focused on pursuing peace, by the pursuit of those that threaten the peace in the country.”

No fewer than 110,000 retired officers of the Armed Forces have enrolled for the military free health insurance scheme.

The enrolees, who are beneficiaries of the scheme cut across all states .

The Managing Director of Military Health Management Limited (DHML), Rear Admiral Azeez Bello Afolayan (rtd), made this known during a one-day interactive meeting with military Veterans group at the DHML headquarters in Abuja.

The Veteran Groups at the meeting were the Nigerian Legion, Retired Members of the Nigerian Armed Forces, Association for Ex-Servive pension, Ex-Servicemen association, Ex-servicemen and Welfare Association Masaka, Foundation for retired Military personnel, Foundation for Care and support veterans, Coalition of Concern Veterans, Retire Navy and Air Force Keffi, Nasarawa State, among others.

Rear Admiral Afolayan said the aim of the meeting was to enlighten veteran groups about what they stand to gain by registering with DHML, in the area of healthcare delivery.

He said: “We are achieving this using our state offices that are spread across the country. Our staff in the office go into the remotest villages. Using the various veterans groups, they identify the veterans and educate them on why they should register with DHML and benefit from free good healthcare packages.

“From the NHIS guidelines there are diseases that are not covered, but on our own part here at DHML we try not to send any Veteran away because his or her ailment is not covered by the health insurance.

We are trying to let the authorities know that there should be no exclusion list for both serving personnel and veterans.”

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The MD explained that what qualifies a veteran to benefit from scheme is to formally register with DHML immediately after retiring from active military service.

“On retirement they need to formally register with the DHML as the registration they did for health insurance while they were in active service does not cover their inclusion with the DHML,” Afolayan said.

The MD urged executives of the various veterans associations not to hold information to themselves, but to educate their members on the benefits of being part of DHML insurance scheme.

“They have provided active service to this country, some even at the point of death, and they need to be taken care of after they retire,” Afolayan said.

In his remarks, the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, said that the Federal Government would soon increase funding for health insurance of retired military personnel to adequately cater for their ailments after service.

He also said that the plans are underway to upgrade various military health facilities to be at par with their counterparts in developed countries.

Represented by the Director, Health Services at the Ministry of Defence, Dr. Olajide Johnson, Matawalle said the government would also improve on veterans insurance health packages to include some ailments that were hitherto not included in the present package.

He said: “Generally, insurance covers most of the ailment of the veterans. All the services also have some particular money that take care of health insurance of the serving personnel. But we want to make sure that more money goes into that, most importantly, to upgrade the various health facilities, so that traveling abroad to get medical treatment will be reduced drastically.

“The Armed Force Health reform is also underway. Very soon the package will be made known.

“Before the exit of the last administration, a memo was sent to the Federal Executive Council, unfortunately we didn’t get assent to that, whereby some money which are being deducted from source to National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), which is in large amount, is allowed to come into DHML will go along way in improving the veterans health packages. It will be represented again and I’m very sure this time around it will scale through.”

The Defence Headquarters says troops of Operation DELTA SAFE recovered about 1,205,950 litres of stolen crude, 452,910 litres of illegally refined diesel, 22,650 litres of petrol, and 3000 litres of kerosene during several operations in the South-South region in one week.

It said the troops also destroyed 89 illegal refining sites, 21 dugout pits, 56 boats, and 138 storage tanks, and arrested 59 suspected oil thefts and other criminal elements.

The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, said this yesterday during a briefing at the Defence Headquarters Abuja.

Buba said troops of Operation Hadin Kai in the North East killed 44 terrorists, arrested 21 criminals, including one terrorist logistics supplier, and rescued four kidnapped hostages.

Read Also: Troops kill 39 terrorists, arrest 157 others, says DHQ

The Defence spokesperson also said that troops of Operation SAFE HAVEN and Operation WHIRL STROKE in the North Central zone killed 31 terrorists, arrested 22 others, and rescued two kidnap victims.

On troops operations in the North West, Buba stated: “Overall, troops of Operation HADARIN DAJI neutralized 18 terrorists, arrested five terrorists and rescued 10 kidnapped hostages.

“In addition, troops of Operation WHIRL PUNCH eliminated 17 terrorists, arrested three suspected terrorists and rescued seven kidnapped hostages. Troops also recovered 34 assorted weapons, 399 Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detonator primers, one vehicle and two motorcycles.”

The Defence spokesperson said troops have also recorded some success in the South East during its operations against criminals.

He said: “In the conduct of operations, troops of Operation UDO KA neutralized 17 terrorists, arrested 11 suspected criminals and rescued two kidnapped hostages.”

Buba said troops recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition during the operations across the country in the past two weeks.

He added: “All recovered items, arrested suspects and rescued hostages were handed over to the relevant authority for further action.”