Musa made this known during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he discussed the government’s efforts to combat terrorism and kidnapping across the country.
The minister said security agencies had rescued several abducted Nigerians, but terrorists and kidnappers often escape into expansive forest areas before troops receive information about an attack and can locate them.
“Few ones now, efforts have been made. If you notice, on a daily basis now, we are really getting, rescuing a lot of them,” Musa said.
He stressed that the scale of the Sambisa Forest should not be underestimated, noting that it was comparable in size to a European country.
“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 the vast forest and difficult terrain often give terrorists an advantage after carrying out attacks, as they can disappear into remote locations before security agencies receive credible information on their whereabouts.
“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,” he said.
“So what they do is that once these abductions are done, before the information gets to anybody, these guys are already into the forest.”
According to the minister, security forces sometimes have to restrict the movement of terrorists, block their escape routes and cut off access to supplies before successfully rescuing their victims.
He cited a recent operation in Kwara State, where security forces reportedly rescued abducted persons after restricting the movements of their captors.
“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,” Musa said.
He added that terrorists sometimes abandon their captives when security forces intensify operations, creating opportunities for the victims to be rescued.
Musa also disclosed that authorities were monitoring financial transactions linked to criminal activities, saying ransom payments could potentially provide useful leads for tracking kidnappers.
He said the Central Bank of Nigeria was involved in efforts to monitor suspicious financial transactions associated with criminal activities.
The Defence Minister further cautioned state governors against indiscriminately distributing motorcycles as palliatives, warning that some of the vehicles could eventually fall into the hands of terrorists and increase their mobility.
Despite the challenges posed by Nigeria’s vast forests and difficult terrain, Musa maintained that security forces were making steady progress in the fight against terrorism and kidnapping.
0 Comments
DISCLAIMER
The views and opinions expressed on this platform as comments were freely made by each person under his or her own volition or responsibility and were neither suggested nor dictated by the owners of News PLATFORM or any of their contracted staff. So we take no liability whatsoever for such comments.
Please take note!