Don’t Attack Our Personnel Again, Military Warns Civilians

Nigerians have been warned against unprovoked attack or killing of members of the Armed Forces.

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) warning came yesterday, which lamented the recurring attacks on troops without provocation.

The Military High Command announced that troops on internal operations killed 624 terrorists, arrested 1,051 others, including informants and logistics, and rescued 563 hostages in May 2024.

The director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, who briefed journalists in Abuja yesterday, warned against unprovoked attacks and killings of military personnel by the civilian populace.

He said the unprovoked killings of 17 personnel in Okuama in Delta State, coupled with the recent assault of unarmed personnel in Banex Plaza in Abuja, is worrisome and leaves much to be desired, adding that these occurrences are unhealthy for our national security, counter-productive, and amount to self-sabotage.

He assed that it is no way to treat any human, and certainly not military personnel, that places themselves in harm’s way to protect citizens or to safeguard the nation, saying the military has demonstrated a high sense of discipline and professionalism in the face of untoward attacks. He said the military’s professionalism must not be mistaken for weakness.

He said the military knows that to win this war, it needs the support of people, adding that they also hope that the people would equally realise that they need the military to win the war to guarantee their safety.

“Accordingly, it goes without saying that this must not repeat itself as it jeopardises our common interest. If troops err, report them, and the military justice system will address the matter,” he said.

He called on the citizens to, as a matter of responsibility, support the military in the fight against terrorism, banditry and other sundry crimes.

He reiterated, “We are at war, and citizens must realise that they also have a responsibility, through their actions and utterances, to support troops and keep their morale and fighting spirit optimal at all times.

“Doing otherwise is unpatriotic and amounts to self-sabotage. Overall, we would continue to fight until the terrorists are defeated on the battlefield and help our nation flourish again.”

He said troops in the Month under review recovered 707 assorted weapons, 16,487 assorted ammunitions, and stolen crude worth N705,836,036.00 only.

He gave a breakdown of recovered weapons, which included 411 AK47 rifles, 234 locally fabricated guns, 43 pump-action guns, 231 Dane guns, 10,782 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 4,310 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 1,623 rounds of 7.62 x 54mm ammo, 1,023 rounds of 511 rounds of 9mm, and 2,100 live cartridges.

Others are 4,871,470 litres of stolen crude oil, 931,416 litres of illegally refined AGO, and 4,480 litres of PMS.

“The joint operational environment coupled with the synergy with other security and intelligence agencies greatly assisted in the optimal performance of troops in the conduct of operations.”