Since May 2023, Nigerian security forces have significantly intensified their operations against terrorist groups and criminal networks, resulting in over 13,500 combatants being eliminated nationwide.
This update came from the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, during the All Progressives Congress National Policy and Development Summit held at the State House Banquet Hall in Abuja.
According to Ribadu, these outcomes reflect coordinated efforts by the military and intelligence services in confronting insurgencies and insecurity under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
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In addition to those neutralised, he reported that more than 124,000 individuals associated with Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) including fighters and their families have surrendered and are currently enrolled in government-led rehabilitation and reintegration programmes.
“Our operations have not only taken out thousands of terrorists but also led to the recovery and destruction of over 252,000 rounds of assorted ammunition,” Ribadu told the audience, which included senior government officials and party stakeholders.
Nigeria’s battle against insurgency remains multifaceted, spanning Boko Haram’s long-standing terror campaign in the Northeast, rampant banditry in the Northwest and North Central, and growing separatist-driven unrest in the South. Despite years of counter-insurgency claims, attacks especially in Borno and Yobe persist, underscoring the ongoing threat.
The violence has had a devastating humanitarian impact, with UN figures estimating over 350,000 deaths direct and indirect since the Boko Haram insurgency began in 2009. More than two million people have also been displaced.
Ribadu credited the recent improvements in security to stronger collaboration among security agencies, strategic intelligence gathering, and decisive political leadership.
Yet, incidents of violence in recent months particularly in Plateau, Benue, and Borno serve as a stark reminder of the challenges still ahead.
