Terrorists do not have a foothold in the South-West and residents should go about their daily business without fear of being attacked by insurgents, says the Defence Headquarters.
Governor Seyi Makinde announced this at a press briefing on Sunday that terrorists invaded a school in Oyo state and kidnapped pupils and teachers.
Mr Makinde said, “After the incident, the amotekun, police, military, hunters and non-state actors were mobilised to go after the terrorists. It was along that line that they ran into improvised explosives,” the governor said. Some of the Amotekun operatives were wounded. The government will continue to take responsibility and ensure that they fully recover and look after their medical bills.”
“With the pressure on the terrorists and the bandits in the North-West, they will keep moving southward. But the problem that we have is when you have pressure in one place, we must be prepared on this side to either repel or neutralise any terrorists fleeing the pressure points.”
The DHQ in a statement on Tuesday said there were no terrorists in the South-West and urged the public to ignore the governor and others claiming the presence of insurgents in the region.
“The entire nation over the deeply painful and unconscionable attack on Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Ahoro-Esinele; and L.A. Primary School, all in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
“The Armed Forces of Nigeria wishes to categorically address recent media reports and public speculation suggesting that terrorist elements have established a permanent operational base within the South-West geo-political zone of Nigeria, particularly following the attack in Oyo State.
“It is pertinent to state that the incident was an isolated criminal act and does not reflect the existence of any entrenched terrorist structure in the region, as the Armed Forces had earlier conducted a comprehensive clearance operation of the Old Oyo National Park (OONP), effectively neutralizing the operational capacity of criminal elements within that corridor. Current intelligence assessments do not support the conclusion that any structured or permanent terrorist base exists within the forests or hinterlands of the South-West region,” said the DHQ.
