By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Two suspected collaborators of terrorists have been arrested at a branch of Access Bank in Kaduna State by personnel of the Nigerian military.
The spokesman of the Defence Headquarters in Abuja, Major-General Musa Danmadami, confirmed this in a chat with reporters on Thursday.
According to him, the arrest was made on September 15, 2022, at the PZ branch of Access Bank in Zaria while attempting to withdraw N14 million deposited into the “account of one Alhaji Abubakar, a suspected terrorist financier.”
He informed newsmen that the arrest was made possible as troops of Operation HADARIN DAJI continued to intensify offensive actions against terrorists and other criminal elements in their operational environment.
While revealing other successes made by the military in the various operational theatres of the six geo-political zones of the country in the past two weeks, Mr Danmadami said troops also neutralised 16 suspected terrorists and arrested 10 notorious terrorists at different locations in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, while 21 civilians were rescued.
He disclosed that troops of Operation HADIN KAI conducted fighting patrols, ambushes and clearance operations at communities, villages and towns in Kukawa, Monguno, Kaga, Dikwa, Biu, Damboa, Gwoza, Mafa, Konguda, Bama and Guzamala Local Government Areas all in Borno State.
According to him, of significance was the neutralisation of two key Boko Haram terrorists/Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) commanders; Abu Asiya and Abu Ubaida (A Qaid), at Parisu and Sheruri general area in Sambisa forest, respectively.
Mr Danmadami also disclosed that the air component of Operation HADIN KAI on September 9 conducted an air interdiction operation at Somalia in Sambisa Forest and bombarded a terrorist critical facility.
He further stated that Joint Task Force Operation DELTA SAFE troops sustained offensive actions against oil thieves and economic saboteurs in communities in Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers States. The military officer said the team conducted patrol, raids, clearance and swamp buggy operations in the creeks and villages, discovering and destroying several illegal refining sites, 17 wooden boats, 103 storage tanks, 94 ovens and 58 dugout pits.
In the South East, he said officials from the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Air Force worked together to sustain an offensive and raid operation against the activities of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra/Eastern Security Network.
Mr Danmadami stated that in Lagos, troops joined forces with operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to arrest four suspected drug barons at Solebo Estate, Ipakodo in Ikorodu Local Government Area. About 1,855kg of substance suspected to be cocaine worth about $278.3 million was recovered from the suspects.
The spokesman said the Armed Forces will continue to collaborate with other security agencies to “conduct our operations,” appealing to members of the public to “continue to provide prompt and creditable information on the activities of enemies of our beloved nation, in their respective locality.”
