200,000 repentant terrorists surrender, drop arms in N/East – CDS Musa

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, says at least 200,000 repentant terrorists have so far dropped their arms and surrendered to troops in the North East.

Gen Musa explained that the twin strategy of kinetic and non-kinetic operations was responsible for the achievement.

The CDS disclosed this at the Security and Justice Symposium organised by the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, in partnership with the British High Commission, which began at the National Counterterrorism Centre in Abuja on Tuesday.

He said the theme of the symposium, ”Securing Peace, Ensuring Justice, Protection, Conduct, and Accountability,” speaks volumes about the deluge of security challenges the armed forces and security agencies are facing.

“All the challenges we are facing today have to do with fairness, equity, justice, and accountability.

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“There will not be peace without justice, equity, fairness, and accountability. In our operations, we are conducting both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies, which have to a large extent yielded significant successes, and we want to particularly thank the National Security Adviser for his great support in this regard.

“Nigeria is going through so many challenges, and we feel we’re able to address this, and everybody has a sense of belonging. A lot of the security challenges we are having, we are sure, will go down. I want to thank the National Security Advisor for all the support he’s given us, both the kinetic and the non-kinetic,” he stated.

The National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, on his part, said, the objective of the Security and Justice Symposium, a vital platform for dialogue and collaboration among the security and justice institutions, was clearly to delve into the successes, challenges, and opportunities for growth within the realms of security and justice.

“As we embark on this journey of critical analysis and discussion, let us keep in mind the noble goals set before us, from analysing and strengthening the intricate relationship between military operations and law enforcement to enhancing the protection of civilians, very important, and fostering a culture of justice and accountability, to promoting a unified approach in countering improvised explosive devices,” he said.

In his remarks, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Richard Montgomery, said both Nigeria and Britain have had a good dialogue on the fact that we all face really complex security challenges in many parts of the world, certainly in the West Africa region and even in Nigeria itself, and these complex challenges require a multifaceted approach.

Montgomery expressed delight that the CDS, General Musa, talked about the nexus between civil and military collaboration, between kinetic and non-kinetic action.

“This is an area where we’ve seen some really important lessons for us emerging from the Nigerian security architecture,” he added.