THE military says it has uncovered a desperate recruitment drive by terrorists, particularly the ISWAP terrorist group, on social media.
The director, defence media operations, a major general, Edward Buba, disclosed this in a statement, affirming that troop operations had severely depleted their ranks and files.
Recently, synchronised air strikes by the air force, coupled with operations by ground forces, dislodged terrorists from their enclaves, killing several of them. Specifically, the air component of Operation HADIN KAI conducted targeted air strikes on terrorists located at Kwallaram and Arainna Cki islands in Borno State on November 6, 2024. These strikes resulted in the neutralisation of over 70 extremist members at Kwallaram, with several more killed at Arainna Ciki.
Buba reported that troops neutralised 169 terrorists, arrested 641 persons, and intensified offensives against terrorists and insurgents across the country.
Also, troops arrested 40 perpetrators of oil theft and rescued 181 kidnapped hostages. The military also prevented oil theft worth an estimated N1,402,001,900.00.
Recovered items include, 192 assorted weapons.
Troops recovered additional items, including ammunition, communication equipment, vehicles and cash. These comprised 1,410 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, 1,074 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 67 rounds of 7.62 x 54mm, 130 rounds of 108mm, 101 rounds of 9mm ammunition and 146 live cartridges. They also seized two Baofeng radios, seven vehicles, 29 motorcycles, 40 mobile phones and N729,000.
In the Niger Delta area, troops discovered and destroyed illegal refining infrastructure, including 20 crude oil cooking ovens, two dugout pits, 42 boats, seven reservoirs, five drums, 50 storage tanks and 83 refining sites.
The troops further recovered various items, such as three pumping machines, three outboard engines, a generator set, a speedboat, eight motorcycles, three mobile phones and three vehicles.
In June 2023, Malik Samuel, a researcher at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), South Africa, provided firsthand perspectives on the primary factors driving the recruitment of new members by the Boko Haram terrorist organisation in Nigeria’s North-East.
Samuel, who also worked as a journalist, told The ICIR in a phone interview on Thursday, June 7, that while there could be other factors, the group’s recruitment strategy was primarily based on religious ideology and the conscription of new members.
He noted that at its early stages, people were given two options: being killed or joining the group.
He explained that those young men were not the only ones conscripted, children in their early teens and primary school ages were also forcefully taken away from their parents and villages into the Sambisa forest for radicalisation by Boko Haram.
Samuel listed other factors, such as economic prosperity and protection from being killed by Boko Haram and security operatives, as reasons people join the dreaded terrorist group.
A reporter with the ICIR
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