Maj.-Gen. Bashir Magashi, a retired military officer and the minister of defence, has praised the military's valiant efforts in the assault against criminal groups throughout the nation's six geopolitical regions.
This was said in a statement made on Tuesday in Abuja by Mohammad Abdulkadri, the defence minister's special assistant for media and publicity.
Magashi said at the Monday Joint World Press Conference at the Radio House Abuja, according to Abdulkadir.
He added that the minister's counterparts from the Ministries of Police Affairs, Interior, and Information and Culture participated in the news conference.
The soldiers of Operation Hardin Kai in the North East, according to Magashi, bravely prevented ISWAP and the Boko Haram terrorists from launching coordinated attacks despite continuing to sustain significant losses, exhaustion, and depression.
The minister stated that the criminal elements had been significantly weakened and vanquished during the previous four weeks in his briefing on military operations across the six geopolitical zones.
According to him, this was done in accordance with President Muhammadu Buhari's directive as the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
According to Abdulkadir, the ISWAP commander Madu Chaka and 20 other individuals, together with 66 suspected terrorists, were all neutralised during the review period.
In contrast, 52 civilians were released from captivity, he continued, while 55 other people were arrested.
Magashi added that by dispelling the fears of the bandits and kidnappers, the Operation Hadarin Daji forces in Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, and Zamfara in the North West zone had also done well by themselves.
He gave Buhari and the Nigerian people assurances about the military's absolute dedication to defending the country's territorial integrity alongside other security forces.
According to a report, the minister described comparable operational results that had been registered in the North Central, South East, South South, and South West.
He thanked the C-in-C for the strong backings that the Armed Forces of Nigeria continued to enjoy even in the current participation in the Peace Support Operation in the Republic of Guinea-Bissau.
On his part, the Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammed Dingyadi said the Police Force had been repositioned and re-equipped.
Dingyadi added that the force was resolute to effectively change the narratives in all the states of the federation towards keeping the country safe and secured.
Dingiyadi buttressed the successes recorded in various parts of the country including Borno state with 248 weapons recovered.
Also, 181 suspects were arrested in Delta, and 40 suspects arrested in Niger, among several others in the last four weeks.
Similarly, the Minister of Interior, Mr Rauf Aregbesola warned criminal elements to keep off the Correctional Centers across the country or they would not live to tell the story of any dastard acts.
He advised Nigerians not to obstruct the operations of the Federal Fire Service in responding to the outbreak of fire emergencies.
While acknowledging the support by the military and sister agencies in a joint operational environment the interior minister assured, ”never again would jail break be repeated.”
He added that arsonists, vandals and other criminals would pay with their lives.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed said that while the country may not be there yet, the military had succeeded and still succeeded in crushing the criminal elements.
This, he said, was in accordance with the directive of Buhari to the Security Forces.
The minister said what could have overwhelmed and consumed other nations of the world was what Nigeria was going through in terms of huge security challenges.
Mohammed said, ”yet, the country remains standing and resolute to end terrorism, banditry and other forms of crimes.”
He appealed to Nigerians to see security as the business of everyone and thanked the media for carrying out their watchdog roles in nation building and national defence.
According to Abdulkadri, the conference was attended by the Permanent Secretaries of the Ministry of Defence, Dr Abubakar Kana, and that of the Ministry of Interior, Dr Shuaib Belgore.
Others, he said, were the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Leo Irabor, the Comptroller General, Nigeria Immigration Service, Isah Jere, his Federal Fire Service counterpart, Mr Abdulganiyu Jaji, as well as top Chief Executives of Agencies, Parastatals and Media.