October 24, (THEWILL) – The Minister of Defence, Mohammad Badaru, has ordered the immediate clampdown on notorious bandit Kingpin, Bello Turji.
Badaru gave the order while addressing troops of Operation Fansar Yamma on Thursday, at One Brigade Headquarters in Gusau, Zamfara State.
The Minister had stormed Zamfara State from Abuja by road through the Funtua-Gusau highway to ascertain the level of insecurity along the federal highway. The Gusau-Funtua federal highway has been a death trap due to terrorists’ activities in the past two months.
He was received on arrival in Zamfara by the Commander, Joint Taskforce Northwest Operation Fansar Yamma, Major General Oluyinka Soyele, the Deputy Governor of Zamfara State, Mani Mumun, among other dignitaries.
Addressing the troops, Badaru conveyed the commendation of President Bola Tinubu, saying the Commander-in-Chief has followed the activities of the troops in the past few months and seen some levels of improvement in the operation against terrorists in the region.
“He, therefore, urged me to thank you and to urge you to do more to end insecurity in these areas of operation and the country. He is ready to provide all you need to end insecurity in the Northwest and Nigeria. I had some reassurances from the commander officer and was pleased, sure that we would reach the goal. Are you ready to finish with them? Are you ready to end it? Please get me Turji”, he said.
Meanwhile, Troops of Operation Udoka in the South-East have arrested a suspected “founding father” of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) and others.
Director of Defence Media Operations, Major Gen Edward Buba, who disclosed this during the bi-weekly briefing of the DHQ in Abuja on Thursday, said the arrests were made in Orsu, Imo State, Amaruku, and Arochukwu in Abia State.
“In the South-East, the troops of Operation Udoka, Forward Operational Base (FOB), Orsu, in a sting operation, apprehended a terrorist leader belonging to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its Eastern Security Network (ESN) terrorist group, known as Mr Pius Iguh. He is an IPOB founding father responsible for the Orsu general area in Imo State.
“Also, in a separate development, troops of FOB Amaruku conducted a raid on an Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) commanders’ location. The raid was successful and led to the arrest of the commander identified as Emmanuel Onwugu in Mbano Local Government Area of Abia State”, adding that the troops in collaboration with other security forces also arrested another suspect Ifeanyi Rock who is a “notorious cult leader” and ten of his commanders in the Arochukwu Local Government Area of Abia State”.
Buba said 76 kidnap victims were rescued by troops who also neutralised 140 terrorists and arrested 135 others during operations.
In the war against crude oil theft, Buba said “Troops in the Niger Delta recovered over 1,122,710 litres of stolen crude oil and over 557,210 litres of illegally refined AGO, better known as diesel.”
The troops who destroyed illegal refining sites also arrested 18 suspected perpetrators of crude oil theft.
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