The Defence Headquarters has reaffirmed its commitment to ending the influence of the Indigenous People of Biafra and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network , in the South-East, as well as eradicating the sit-at-home culture enforced by the group.
Speaking at a briefing on Thursday, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Markus Kangye, acknowledged that fear still keeps some residents indoors on Mondays despite the military’s ongoing efforts.
However, he assured that security forces were making significant progress in restoring normalcy.
“Who gave the order? IPOB/ESN criminals. Because of what was happening in the South-East, Operation Udo Ka was set up – just like Operation Hadin Kai in the North-East. The past three commanders in the region have worked tirelessly to encourage people to go about their normal business. However, in some areas, residents still stay home out of fear. The commanders are working hard to free the South-East from IPOB/ESN influence,” Kangye stated.
He also defended the military’s counter-terrorism efforts amid concerns raised by the 2025 Global Terrorism Index, which ranked Nigeria sixth globally and recorded 565 terrorism-related deaths in 2024.
Kangye insisted that reports from the Nigerian military offer a more accurate account of the country’s security situation than external sources.
“Something is happening in my house; I am the head of the house; I have children, I have a wife, and then Kuma Shi (someone else) is reporting what is happening in my house to me. Which one would be more correct? The one I tell you as the head of the house or the one Kuma Shi is reporting from outside?” he queried.
He urged the media to verify and correct misleading narratives about the nation’s security landscape.
“I’m not countering what they put out there, but as observers, you should be the ones to give the correct version of what is happening in Nigeria,” the DHQ spokesman said.
Reeling out the achievements of the military between 27 February and March 6 2025, Kangye said a total of 92 terrorists were neutralised while 111 suspected others were arrested.
He also said troops also apprehended 18 oil thieves and rescued 75 kidnapped hostages.
“In the South-South, troops foiled oil theft estimated to the tune of about N521,802,360.00 only.
“The breakdown revealed: 452,396 litres of stolen crude oil, 224,175 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil and 1,920 litres of PMS. Additionally, t111111roops discovered and destroyed 87 crude oil cooking ovens, 28 dugout pits, 23 boats, 33 storage tanks, 61 drums and 47 illegal refining sites.
“Other items recovered include two pumping machines, three tricycles, five motorcycles, two mobile phones and six vehicles among others,” he added.
He also said troops recovered 117 and 2,939 assorted weapons and ammunition rounds, respectively.
“These include, 58 AK-47 rifles, 21 locally fabricated guns, 26 Dane guns, 7 pump-action guns, 4 PKT guns, 2 GPMGs, one QJC W85 gun, one
HK 21 gun, one M60 MG, 11 RPG bombs, 2 RPG tubes and one fabricated 60mm mortar.
“They also recovered quantity 2,278 rounds of assorted 7.62mm ammunition, 26 live cartridges, 64 rounds of 9mm ammo, 18 magazines, as well as other 8 assorted arms,” Kangye stated.
Solomon Odeniyi @ThePUNCH
