The Defence Headquarters has addressed recent comments made by a former Niger Delta militant warlord, Mujahid Asari-Dokubo, who allegedly threatened to shoot down a military helicopter hovering around his residence.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, described Asari-Dokubo’s threat as “laughable” and challenged him to confront soldiers on the battlefield.
“Now, the comment by an individual that he can shoot down military helicopters is laughable. And I am about to laugh at that,” Buba said. “We are in a democracy, and we are professionals. Of course, we cannot just, based on somebody’s comments, begin to take certain actions. They would accuse the military of being undemocratic.”
Buba emphasized that the military’s focus remains on combating terrorists across various theatres of operations.
Buba said, “For us, the enemy we fight are the terrorists. Some may choose to call them different names in the different theatres of operations where they exist. In the North-West and North-East, some will say terrorists; some may prefer to call them bandits. I tell you, they are all terrorists, and that is what we see.”
The military has made significant progress in eliminating terrorist leadership, Buba noted.
He said, “Troops are making significant progress. As I mentioned earlier, we prioritise eliminating terrorist leadership, and we have been doing just that. In the last three quarters, we have taken out over 300 terrorist commanders, not to mention their foot soldiers.”
Recent successes include the killing of Mai Hijabi, a terrorist kingpin in Jigawa State.
He stated, “One of the notorious terrorist commanders in Jigawa State, known as Mai Hijabi, was eliminated from the battlefield during the week,” Buba said. “Troops are, therefore, increasingly making significant strides across all theatres of operations.”
During the week under review, troops achieved notable successes. They neutralized 165 terrorists, arrested 238 suspects, and rescued 188 kidnapped victims. Additionally, 35 suspected oil thieves were arrested in the South-South region, preventing the theft of N688,125,150.00.
The military also recovered substantial quantities of stolen resources and illegal equipment. Troops discovered and destroyed two dugout pits, 58 boats, and 39 storage tanks. They recovered 789,200 litres of stolen crude oil and 64,950 litres of illegally refined AGO.
Furthermore, the military seized 153 assorted weapons and 2,182 rounds of assorted ammunition. The recovered items include 81 AK-47 rifles, 23 fabricated rifles, 27 Dane guns, 13 pump-action guns, five locally-made pistols, three revolver pistols, and 30 AK-47 magazines. Other items recovered include one bayonet, 1,561 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, 278 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition, 70 rounds of 50mm ammunition, 72 rounds of 9mm ammunition, and 87 live cartridges.
Other recovered items include one Baofeng radio, 19 vehicles, 21 motorcycles, 45 mobile phones, and N64,100.00.
Buba emphasized that the military’s efforts have destroyed a substantial part of the combat capacity of these terror groups and their leadership.
Buba said, “Our aim is to diminish their fighting capabilities and damage their military capabilities, which we have been successfully doing.”
Addressing Asari-Dokubo’s threat, Buba reiterated, “Come to the battlefield, and we’ll take you out. He should come to the battlefield and see whether we can react or not.”