Vice President Kashim Shettima, on Wednesday, said those behind recent attacks across Nigeria will be decisively confronted.
Shettima reiterated the federal government’s resolve to defeat terrorism.
He spoke in Maiduguri during a visit to Borno State, alongside Director-General of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Zubaida Umar, in the aftermath of Monday’s terror attack on the Borno State capital.
The vice president disclosed that beyond the presidential directive to the security chiefs to relocate to Maiduguri to take immediate charge of the anti-terrorism fight, the federal government was investing more in equipment and other logistics to boost the war against terrorism across the country.
Condemning the multiple explosions in Maiduguri on Monday in which more than 100 people were affect-ed, with over 20 confirmed dead, he described the perpetrators as barbaric, stressing that no cause justifies the killing of innocent people.
He said his visit was to sympathise with the injured and the families affected by the tragedy.
Shettima assured the victims of government’s support through NEMA, North East Development Commission, and Borno State Government.
He was accompanied by Borno State Deputy Governor, Usman Kadafur; Umar; Chief Medical Director of University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Professor Ahmed Ahijo; and other top government officials.
Still on the Maiduguri tragedy, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Olufemi Oluyede, urged communities in Borno and Yobe states to take ownership of the fight against Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists.
Fielding questions from journalists shortly after a close-door meeting with Chief of Army Staff (CAS), Lt-Gen Waidi Shuaib, the CDS said some residents were complicit in sabotaging troops’ efforts in the fight against terrorists.
The service chiefs arrived Maiduguri around 11:21am on Wednesday based on the directive of President Bola Tinubu to take direct charge of the situation in Maiduguri, following multiple bomb blasts that killed about 26 people and injured 146.
Oluyede stated, “We are here to review our strategies in the fight against Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists in the North-east.
“As you are aware, in the last one month, there were attacks launched by terrorists, which is their usual tactics during the holy month of Ramadan Kareem.
“I want to put it clearly this afternoon that for us to end this act of terrorism, the people of Borno State and Yobe must take ownership of this problem.
“The bulk of the people perpetrating this heinous act are from these states, they are our brothers, sisters, cousins, and we know them.
“Let me give you an example. When Kukawa was attacked, while we were conducting cordon and search afterwards, we discovered that two of the wounded terrorists were inside that village.
“Therefore, the people in these two states – Borno and Yobe – must take ownership of the crisis to end this war. That is my message to the people of Yobe and Borno.”
On drones and other technologies being used by terrorists, the CDS said, “We are responding with German drones, and we are getting more of those drones; we are on top of the situation.”
In Borno, Troops Kill Over 80 Terrorists, NAF Thwarts Fatori Community Invasion
Troops of the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) dealt a decisive blow to terrorists, killing over 80 fighters, including key commanders, during a coordinated five-pronged attack on military positions at Mallam Fatori, Sector 3, in the early hours of on Wednesday.
The success came barely 24 hours after the troops repelled a separate ISWAP and Boko Haram attempt to overrun four military locations across the North-east.
Recent reports confirmed that similar assaults on Njimtilo, Baga, Buratai, and Damboa were also thwarted, demonstrating the resilience and tactical superiority of OPHK forces.
A statement by Media Information Officer of OPHK, Lieutenant-Colonel Sani Uba, explained that the terrorists advanced in large numbers on foot and deployed armed drones in a desperate attempt to breach troop defences, particularly at the 68 Battalion frontage along Bravo Company, from Duguri.
Uba stated that anticipating the assault, troops had prepared an offensive-defensive operation designed to disrupt and annihilate the attackers.
Through disciplined fire control, coordinated manoeuvres, and superior tactics, the insurgents were routed in disarray, with no fewer than 80 neutralised, he said.
The operation was further reinforced by precision close air support from the NAF Air Component, complemented by rapid strikes from allied Nigerien air assets, putting additional pressure on the fleeing insurgents.
Follow-on operations recovered a substantial cache of weapons and equipment, including 52 AK-47 rifles, eight PKT machine guns, seven RPG tubes, five general-purpose machine guns, over 3,000 rounds of ammunition, 21 RPG bombs, nine improvised explosive devices, multiple magazines, communication radios, and components of armed drones.
Notably, the operation eliminated three high-profile terrorist commanders – Mallam Abdulrahman Gobara, Mallam Ba Yuram, and Abou Ayyuba – alongside several identified fighters, including Zarkawi, Ba Bunu, Rawa Fannami, Abowor Suwurti, Bulama Mil, Abu Aisha, Suleimana, Abu Rijal, Abu Ali, Abba Gana Kawiyya, and Ahmodu Hirasama.
Their loss, Uba said, represented a significant disruption to terrorist command structures and operational capabilities in the region.
He emphasised that the victory underscored the growing combat effectiveness, morale, and resilience of OPHK forces.
Deji Elumoye, Linus Aleke and Muhammad Sabiru
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