The military high command has issued a strong warning to notorious bandit leader Bello Turji, stating that he cannot evade capture indefinitely.
The military maintained that while he may continue to attempt to evade arrest, ongoing intelligence-led operations will ultimately ensure that he is brought to justice.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, made this known while responding to questions from journalists during the monthly briefing on operational activities of the Armed Forces of Nigeria across the federation.
General Onoja also called for patience regarding the ongoing closed door trial involving alleged coup plotters in the interest of national security.
Responding to questions on why journalists were barred from covering the ongoing general court martial, he said: “The issue of the court martial is not within my purview to comment on. Secondly, as I stated earlier in the year, you will be informed at the appropriate time, and I believe you have been kept updated on all matters necessary for public knowledge. When the process began, the Armed Forces issued a statement outlining what would take place, including the names of the suspects, and you also witnessed proceedings at the Federal High Court. For now, in the interest of national security, I urge patience. In due course, all the information you require will be made available—you may even have more information than expected on the matter.”
On the benefits of United States military assistance in Nigeria’s ongoing counter-insurgency operations, the Director explained: “As you are well aware, the United States military is primarily here to provide training and intelligence support. They do not have boots on the ground; they are offering advisory and operational assistance, and I can say that their support has been significant. It has contributed to the operations you have seen over the past four weeks. We are therefore very satisfied with the United States and the support they have provided.”
Linus Aleke
