Nigeria's Military Offensive: Key Militia Leaders and Fighters Neutralized

Nigeria's military has launched a significant offensive in the third quarter of the year, neutralizing 65 key terrorist leaders and combatants and over 1,900 fighters across the country. This move comes in response to widespread insecurity from various armed factions. President Bola Tinubu has also ordered key defense personnel to address violence in the northwest.

Nigeria's military has recently escalated its offensive against armed militia groups, killing dozens of their leaders and hundreds of fighters nationwide, according to a military spokesperson on Thursday.

Nigeria grapples with widespread insecurity, marked by a 15-year Islamist insurgency in the northeast, separatist violence in the southeast, rampant oil theft in the Niger River delta, and kidnapping for ransom in the northwest. Military spokesperson Major-General Edward Buba announced that troops' offensive actions led to the neutralization of 65 notable terrorist leaders, commanders, and combatants across all theaters of operations.

"Overall, in the third quarter of this year, troops neutralized 1,937 terrorists, arrested 2,782 suspected terrorists and other criminal elements, and rescued 1,854 hostages," Buba added in a statement. Fatalities included members of Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province, and various bandit groups. Among those killed was Halilu Sububu, a high-value target with a bounty of five million naira.

In September, President Bola Tinubu directed the defense minister and top military chiefs to relocate to the northwestern state of Sokoto, one of the regions worst affected by violence. Following this directive, military actions against armed groups have intensified, featuring increased air bombardments and land operations.

(With inputs from agencies.)