Nigeria’s security conditions in the South-East have improved markedly following sustained military operations and the imprisonment of separatist leaders Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and Simon Ekpa, the Nigerian Army has said.
The military explained that intensified troop deployment across the region, combined with recent legal actions against the leadership of the separatist group, has led to a noticeable decline in crime and other violent activities over the past year.
According to Major General Michael Onoja, the incarceration of Simon Ekpa in Finland and the continued detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in Abuja have significantly weakened the group’s command structure and reduced its capacity to plan and carry out attacks.
“Crimes and other criminal activities have significantly decreased during the year following troops’ intensified operations across the South-Eastern states, as well as the recent court rulings against their leader, Simon Ekpa, who was jailed by the Government of the Republic of Finland, and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” Onoja said.
He noted that these developments have dealt a major blow to the group’s operational strength, stressing that their ability to organise coordinated attacks has been largely diminished.
Onoja further explained that, in the past, the group often targeted lightly manned checkpoints and security posts, leading to the killing of personnel and the seizure of weapons that were later used to perpetrate further violence.
The military reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining ongoing operations in the South-East, with the aim of consolidating recent gains, safeguarding lives and property, and preventing criminal elements from regrouping in the region.
