The military High Command said that it did not know the sponsors of terrorism and banditry ravaging Northeast, Northwest and North Central states for more than one decade.
It noted that the issue of sponsors of criminalities in Nigeria was beyond the military, arguing that its responsibility is to deal with the criminals which it had been doing through its counter terrorism and anti banditry operations across the troubled zones.
Coordinator Defence Media Operations Major General John Enenche offered this explanation at the weekly update of military operations across the federation.
General Enenche who insisted that the military had not seen any sponsor of terror or banditry further noted that it was within the purview of the intelligence community in Nigeria to unravel the sponsors.
He however assured that effort are been intensified by the intelligence agencies to track the sponsor and that very soon they would be unmasked.
According to him, “I want to respond clearly, direct and simple: we don’t know their sponsors, and even if we know, even if it is possible for…the operations team to know…We have the arm of the intelligence institution that should do that. For the sponsors i cannot say because that is been handled at the highest level. The sponsors, we don’t see them, we have not seen that people are sponsoring them. The evidences that people are getting provisions, equipment that ordinarily with what they steal even though they sell them…common assessment will not justify it. How much will they steal and sell to buy the caliber of equipment they use, so such things logically tell you that they are been sponsored. But for us in the military, we are permanently on operations field, in the trenches, and in the front lines.
But one thing i can assure you is that however long it takes, the sponsors will be tracked. And I’m sure, and I’m aware that there are intelligence processes going on to track them”.
General Enenche said that troops of the Army Super Camp 17 at Cross Kauwa in Kukawa Local Government Area and troops of Operation Lafiya Dole deployed at Response Area Aulari in Bama Local Government Area, both in Borno State, successfully repelled BHT/ISWAP’s attacks within the period under review.
He said the gallant troops responded to the terrorists’ attacks with superior firepower, thereby killing 2 of them in contact and recovered 2 AK-47 rifles, 2 Hand Grenades and some ammunition as well as 2 Rocket Propelled Guns and Unexploded Ordnances fired by the terrorists.
General Enenche added that while the Armed Forces of Nigeria reinvigorates and intensifies her operational activities in the theatre in the North East, it has not relented in its non-kinetic operations.
“These activities are evident in the civil military cooperation activities provided at various quarters by the Nigerian military, including the continued provision of medical outreach to IDPs by the Military. These activities led to improved civil military relations, thereby enhancing provision of information to security agencies, which resulted to the remarkable successes recorded in recent past in the Northeast zone,” he said.
He said the air bombardments of Operation Wutan Daji led to the neutralization of several bandits and their Logistics bases in Doumbourou, Kuyanbana, Bimasa forests as well as Dunya village in Katsina and Zamfara States respectively.
“Within the period under review, troops foiled armed bandits attack in Katsina and Zamfara States. Troops successfully killed 12 armed bandits and arrested 6 suspected bandits’ informers/collaborators across the theatre. Similarly, troops of Operation Hadarin DajI under Operation Accord also rescued 29 kidnapped victims in Katsina and Zamfara States. They were handed over to the 2 State governments. These successes recorded within the period under review have brought about a renewed vigour and determination on the side of the gallant troops in tackling the security challenge in the Northwest one,” he noted. – Nigerian Pilot.
