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October 30, 2024
Buba explained that troops consistently address terrorist threats, with clearance operations denying them freedom of action.
The Nigerian Defence Headquarters has refuted the Niger State House of Assembly lawmaker’s comment that bandits have taken over the Nigerian Army training camp in Kontagora, Kontangora local government area of the state.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, asserted that “no inch of the training area has been ceded to the terrorist.”
“Firstly, this headquarters seize[s] the opportunity to unequivocally state that this allegation is incorrect and inaccurate with realities on the ground,” Buba stated.
He noted that troops had faced encounters with terrorists during operations in the general area but maintained that “no inch of the training area has been ceded to the terrorist.”
Buba explained that troops consistently address terrorist threats, with clearance operations denying them freedom of action.
“The ongoing operations, particularly in Niger, [are] targeted [at] terrorist[s],” he clarified, adding that it is erroneous to describe the threat in any other terms.
Buba emphasised the military’s collaboration with the Niger State Government to improve security.
“Our troops are not relenting at [ensuring the] total destruction of these terrorists wherever they may be hiding,” he added.
The Niger State House of Assembly’s statement came after a Tuesday plenary, during which Hon. Abdullahi Isah of Kontagora II alleged that bandits had taken over the Nagwamase Military Cantonment in Kontagora.
According to Isah, bandits established at least eight camps within the cantonment, displacing about 23 nearby communities and posing a significant security risk. The Assembly urged government and military intervention to reclaim the area and restore safety.