Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), has said the enormous forested areas used by terrorists and kidnappers continue to pose major challenges to security operations across Nigeria, despite ongoing efforts to rescue abducted victims.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Musa said security forces have intensified operations and are securing the release of kidnapped persons on a regular basis, but difficult terrain often allows criminals to evade immediate capture.
According to the minister, many abductors disappear into vast forests shortly after carrying out attacks, making it harder for security agencies to track them before they establish new hideouts.
“Few ones now, efforts have been made. If you notice, on a daily basis now, we are really getting, rescuing a lot of them. Yeah, because, like I said, we have 923 square kilometres. So this government is overwhelmed. Sambisa Forest is as big as Belgium, as a country. So when people talk about this, they make it look as if it is one small football field and we are refusing to do anything,” he said.
Musa explained that delayed intelligence and the size of the forests often prolong rescue missions, as troops must first locate the routes and camps being used by the criminals.
“These places are massive areas. The forest within Kwara comes in from Burkina Faso to Benin Republic into Nigeria and flows through all these things. So what they do is that once these abductions are done, before the information gets to anybody, these guys are already into the forest.
“So it takes a long time for us to follow them, to be able to trace over there. And then the last one that was done in Kwara State, we had to quarantine where they were going, deny them oxygen, and that’s where we were able to get them.”
The defence minister said recent rescue operations have shown that sustained military pressure can force terrorists and kidnappers to abandon captives while attempting to escape advancing security forces.
He noted that security agencies are also targeting supply routes and resources used by criminal groups in a bid to weaken their operational capacity.
Musa further disclosed that ransom payments could provide useful intelligence for investigators, adding that financial transactions linked to criminal networks are being monitored to assist security operations.
According to him, the Central Bank of Nigeria is collaborating with relevant authorities to trace funds connected to kidnapping and terrorist activities.
The minister also cautioned state governors against indiscriminate distribution of motorcycles as palliatives, warning that such items could eventually be acquired by criminal groups and used to improve their mobility.
His remarks come amid ongoing military operations against terrorism, banditry and kidnapping across several parts of the country, with security agencies continuing efforts to dismantle criminal networks and secure the release of victims.
