Military, foreign allies have broken backbone of terrorist groups — Defence intelligence chief

By Kingsley Omonobi

ABUJA — The Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI), Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Undiandeye, has said that the Nigerian Armed Forces, working in collaboration with international partners including the United States, United Kingdom and France, have significantly degraded terrorist groups operating in the country.

Speaking on Wednesday during the Second Quarter Operations Briefing for Foreign Defence Advisers and Attachés at the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) headquarters in Abuja, Undiandeye said sustained military operations had crippled the leadership structures and operational capabilities of terrorist organisations, including ISIS and Boko Haram.

According to him, the armed forces have successfully targeted and neutralised key commanders, foot soldiers and support networks of the insurgent groups.

“Our forces have assaulted, decimated and decapitated them to the extent that their logistics chains, arms and ammunition couriers, as well as other support networks, have been largely dismantled,” he said.

The Defence Intelligence Chief maintained that the security situation in Nigeria has improved considerably due to enhanced operational capabilities, intelligence gathering and the deployment of technology in collaboration with allied nations.

“Nigeria is secure. The security challenges confronting our nation have largely been contained by the Armed Forces through improved operational capabilities, intelligence and technology, working in close coordination with our allied partners, particularly the United States, the United Kingdom and France,” he stated.

Undiandeye explained that the quarterly briefing was organised to provide foreign defence advisers and attachés with an accurate assessment of the security situation in Nigeria, countering what he described as misleading narratives often circulated on social media and other unreliable platforms.

He said the forum also served as an opportunity to showcase the strong collaboration among Nigeria’s military, intelligence and security agencies in addressing various security threats across the country.

“The occasion provides an avenue to highlight the cordial synergy and working relationship among security and intelligence agencies in the joint effort to combat the security challenges facing the country, with remarkable operational successes being recorded on several fronts,” he added.

In his remarks, the Director of Foreign Liaison at the DIA, Maj. Gen. Ojogbane Adegbe, said the operations briefing remains one of the agency’s key platforms for updating foreign defence advisers and attachés on security developments in Nigeria and the wider Sahel region.

“It is also a forum through which accredited defence advisers and attachés engage not only with the agency but also with other security institutions and stakeholders working closely with the Armed Forces of Nigeria to ensure the security of lives and property,” Adegbe said.

The briefing was attended by representatives of several government ministries, security and intelligence agencies, including the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Department of State Services (DSS), Defence Headquarters, the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force, the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigeria Immigration Service.

Also present was the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Richard Pheelangwa, represented by the Director of Joint Services, Mrs. Bosede Olaniyi.

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