By Chimezie Godfrey
The Nigerian Armed Forces have reiterated their commitment to eliminating notorious terrorist leader Bello Turji, labeling him a “dead man walking.”
The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, made the declaration on Tuesday during the military’s end-of-year briefing.
Responding to a recently released video by Turji, Buba stated that engaging in verbal exchanges with terrorists was beneath the military’s standards. Instead, he assured that Turji’s fate would mirror that of previous terrorist leaders who were neutralized by the armed forces.
“Indeed, Bello Turji is merely a dead man walking. It will be insulting to try to join issues and words with a terrorist. Before him, there were other terrorists who boasted that they would deal with security forces. Today they are all taken out. We will do the same with other terrorist leaders like him,” Buba said.
Highlighting past successes, he added, “All these terrorist leaders that we are seeing today, before them, there were some that thought that they were champions upon champions. Where are they? They are buried… They are dead men walking.”
Buba also addressed Amnesty International’s demand for an investigation into the accidental bombing in Sokoto State. While expressing the military’s willingness to comply, he stated that this would only happen after the organization honors an invitation from the military to discuss prior allegations.
“We extended an invitation to them for us to look at some allegations that they leveled against the military, which we found to be very shocking and misleading and unfortunate. We are waiting for them,” he said, adding that the ball is now in Amnesty International’s court.
He dismissed terrorist propaganda surrounding the Sokoto incident, urging citizens not to be swayed. “Don’t give in to terrorist propaganda… Of course, terrorists will put up propaganda. Don’t feed into their propaganda, please,” Buba cautioned.
Reflecting on the successes of 2024, Buba revealed that troops had significantly weakened terrorist capabilities, eliminating 10,937 terrorists, including over 1,000 notable commanders and combatants. Among those killed were prominent leaders such as Dutse Mainasara Idda, Mallam Saleh Umaru, and Chinemerem (alias Bam Bam).
In addition, 12,538 terrorists were arrested, and 7,063 kidnapped victims were rescued. The military recovered 8,815 weapons and over 228,000 rounds of ammunition, alongside 16,171 repentant terrorists and their families surrendering to troops.
The breakdown of weapons recovered included 4,332 AK-47 rifles, 1,244 locally fabricated guns, and 838 dane guns. The military also confiscated 56.2 million liters of stolen crude oil, preventing oil theft worth over ₦68 billion.
Looking ahead, Maj. Gen. Buba expressed confidence in the military’s ongoing efforts to eradicate terrorism, predicting a decisive defeat of terrorist elements in 2025.
“Many of the things that we have witnessed in this outgoing year 2024, it is a sign of the major defeat of the terrorists in 2025,” he declared. “We killed over 10,000 terrorists, arrested over 12,000, and recovered a significant cache of weapons and ammunition. Victory is non-negotiable.”
Buba noted that terrorists were now surrendering not only in the Northeast but also in the Northwest and North-Central regions, signaling a shift in the tide against insurgency in Nigeria.
“Our troops are determined, and the nation will witness even greater successes in the fight against terrorism in the coming year,” he concluded.
