Minister of Defence Abubakar Badaru, Wednesday, said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has achieved great feats towards improving the security and defence of the country’s territorial integrity in the last two years.
Specifically, he said during the period under review, no fewer than 13,543 adversaries, ranging from bandits, terrorists, kidnappers and other criminals were neutralised by the troops of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies in the country.
The minister said the administration, since assuming office May 29, 2023, has tremendously improved military operations with sophisticated and modern equipment to combat insecurity in different parts of the country.
He stated this at the seventh edition of the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing Series held at the National Press Centre, Abuja, to update Nigerians on the activities and performance of his ministry in the last two years.
The minister also said not less than 17, 469 suspected criminals among the aforementioned groups were arrested at the different theatres of operations.
Also, he said, 9, 821 Nigerians, including women and children, were rescued from the den of terrorists and kidnapers across the country, while 124, 408 terrorists surrendered to troops.
Badaru also disclosed that 11, 118 weapons were recovered and 300 terrorists commanders killed.
According to him, some of the terrorists’ commanders killed included Abu Bilal Minuki, Haruna Isiya Boderi, Kachallah Alhaji Dayi, Kachallah Idi, Kachallah Kabiru, Kachallah Azailaru, and Alhaji Baldu.
While scoring the administration high on security, he said: “For those of you that can still remember, cast your mind back to two years ago. People could not travel from Abuja to Kaduna, Birnin Gwari to Kaduna, Abuja to Lokoja and so many other roads freely. But today, the story today is different. Nigerians are now traveling freely.”
The minister, however, attributed resurgence of attacks by terrorists to infiltration of terrorists from neighbouring countries as a result of rising insecurity in the Sahelian region especially in countries like Niger, Mali, Cemeroun, Benin, and Chad Republic among others.
Answering questions from journalists on whether the terrorists had more sophisticated weapons than the military, he said: “That’s absolutely not true. We have much more sophisticated equipment and we have much more sophisticated drones.
“The issue is that this war is not a conventional war. It’s like a guerrilla war. They watch us, they have informants around us, around the people that we try to protect, and they give them information and they jump to us when we don’t expect.
“And when they know that our surveillance mechanism is watching some direction because we cannot cover the whole area they attack. So that is it, they don’t have more equipment than us.
“We have much more, we have more sophisticated equipment and that is why the successes that I just mentioned are being recorded.”
On the insinuation in some quarters that the terrorists had access to armed drones, the minister said: “From where do they have armed drones? What they use are normal small drones, civilian drones. They just tie bomb to it, improvise bomb and just drop. It’s not sophisticated drone. It’s not armed drone that has strategic guidance.
“It’s just fabrication. That is what we have seen so far. And we are beefing up our intelligence and that is why we have arrested so many arm traffickers.”
“If you see the videos, I think it is not here, I could have shown you the type of drones they used to attack. They’re just small normal drones that you, media, use but with heavy capacity that they will put one kg or two kg of bomb that explode and that is what they have now,” he further said.
…Idris on media reportage
Earlier in his remarks, the host, Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris appealed to media professionals to refrain from granting undue publicity to terrorists, bandits, and other criminal elements threatening the peace and security of the country.
“The media, as gatekeepers and partners in nation-building, have a crucial role to play in supporting our military’s morale by highlighting their successes and sacrifices. “We must deny these groups the undue publicity they crave. We must take them off the front pages and accurately report them as the criminals they are, without glorifying their acts or giving credence to their false narratives,” Idris said.
The minister emphasised that terrorists and criminal groups often manipulate media coverage and social media platforms to spread fear, propagate disinformation, and recruit followers.
In this context, he urged journalists and editors to adopt a responsible and patriotic approach to reportage by avoiding sensational headlines and refusing to serve as inadvertent amplifiers of terror propaganda.
“These are not freedom fighters; they are murderers, kidnappers, and destroyers, and they must be presented as such,” he said.
Highlighting President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly its pillar on “Strengthening National Security for Peace and Prosperity,” the minister noted that the federal government was actively investing in military capacity through the acquisition of modern equipment, enhanced intelligence, and strategic partnerships.
Describing the ministerial press briefing as the brainchild of his ministry, Idris said:
“It’s a forum that presents a vital opportunity for ministers to update Nigerians on the key achievements, ongoing initiatives, and policy directions of their ministries.
“Through this interactive platform, which is being broadcast live on national television stations and streamed across social media platforms, we continue to demonstrate our commitment to transparency, accountability, and public engagement.”
He, therefore, commended the media for their continued support of the initiative and their broader role in promoting public awareness of government initiatives.