Residents have been urged to support continuing military operations aimed at restoring peace and stability in the area by the advocacy group Concerned Northerners for Peace and Development.
The demand was made by the organization in a statement released on Tuesday by the convener, Abdulazeez Lamido, and secretary, Agnes Bitrus. They claimed that the military’s attempts to bring about a return to normalcy in the area had been successful. The group voiced trust in the Armed Forces’ ability to achieve the complete restoration of peace throughout the North, not just in the North East.
“We recall that in 2021, our people in the North East celebrated Christmas with fervor for the first time in a few of years.
“To continue what is being done as Christmas in 2022 approaches, support and collaboration with the armed services are needed.
Eight Civilian JTF members were recently detained in Banki by soldiers of the 151 Task Force Battalion, Operations Hadin Kai, on suspicion of supporting Boko Haram activities.
“They were allegedly providing logistics and welfare supplies to the terrorist organization.
“The suspects actively acted as ‘terrorist intelligence’ before to their arrest and were involved in supplying various commodities, including drugs, fuel, mosquito nets, noodles, among other stuff, to terrorists,” they claimed.
The group recounted that some ISWAP militants were defeated after the military detonated seven bombs near their location in Damboa Local Government of Borno. They claim that during a clearance operation in known hideouts near the Tsohon Gayan area of Kaduna State, Operation Forest Sanity troops also neutralized roughly four bandits.
They asked the terrorists to give up their weapons so that peace might return to the area, claiming that the military, led by Gen. Lucky Irabor, had proven capable and determined in addressing the security issues.
“We advise the rebels to follow the lead of the 49 fighters from the terrorist organization Jam’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihd, including two Commanders, Ba’a Usman (Munzir) and Alhaji Ari (Nakib), who gave themselves up to the Operation Hadin Kai troops in Damboa on November 20.
The organization said, “As a result of the kinetic and non-kinetic measures, no less than 90,000 rebels, comprising fighters and non-combatants, and their families, have thus far surrendered to the Nigerian military.” (NAN)
