The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, APC-PCC, says the military has killed more than 15,000 Boko Haram terrorists and bandits in the last three years, while over 130,000 Boko Haram fighters and their dependents have surrendered.
The council's spokesperson, Dele Alake, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, attributing the figures to the military operations under President Bola Tinubu's administration.
He said the President was committed to ending the 17-year insurgency and other security challenges through a Five-Year Strategic Defence Operations Plan.
“The military has eliminated more than 15,000 Boko Haram terrorists and bandits in the last three years, while over 130,000 Boko Haram fighters and their dependents have surrendered through Operation Safe Corridor, the Federal Government’s rehabilitation programme for repentant insurgents,” the statement said.
Alake said the administration was combining sustained military operations with non-military interventions to tackle insecurity across the country.
“The plan provides a long-term framework for aligning defence priorities, operational needs, capability development and spending with Nigeria’s current and future security challenges,” the statement said.
“Tinubu has created four new Army divisions and restructured existing formations to improve operational coverage and enable troops to respond faster to security threats,” he added.
The President has also approved two additional Army depots in Osogbo, Osun State, and Amasiri-Edda, Ebonyi State. The facilities can train 6,000 recruits each, bringing their combined capacity to 12,000.
The Osogbo depot currently has 5,210 recruits undergoing training.
The statement further said Tinubu had approved the recruitment of 28,000 additional soldiers and 50,000 police officers to strengthen security operations across the country.
15,000 terrorists killed, 130,000 Boko Haram fighters, dependents surrendered in three years - APC