How Military Rescue Abducted Victims Without Killing Terrorists
- Defence Minister Christopher Musa revealed the military strategy used to free kidnap victims when terrorists are not arrested or killed
- Musa also raised concerns about motorcycles distributed as palliatives, saying some end up in the hands of bandits
- The minister said the Central Bank of Nigeria is working to trace funds linked to criminal groups, including ransom payments
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Minister of Defence Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.) has shed light on how Nigerian security forces are able to rescue kidnapped victims without necessarily killing or arresting the terrorists responsible for holding them.
Musa spoke on Channels Television's Politics Today on Thursday, addressing growing public questions about military operations, including recent ones in Kwara State, in which troops freed abducted persons without any reported exchange of fire or payment of ransom.
Source: Twitter
How the military forces terrorists to abandon captives
According to the minister, the approach involves locating where the terrorists are keeping their victims, then sealing off all possible escape routes while cutting off supplies of food, water, fuel, and other basic necessities. Deprived of these resources and with security forces closing in, the terrorists typically flee the scene, leaving their captives behind.
The Punch reported that Musa said the strategy was deliberate and effective, noting that the military does not always need a direct confrontation to secure a rescue outcome.
He also touched on ransom payments, saying that rather than simply blocking them, such transactions could serve as a tool for tracking criminal networks. He added that the Central Bank of Nigeria is actively working to trace funds connected to kidnapping and other criminal activities.
Governors urged to rethink motorcycle palliatives
The minister used the appearance to call on state governors to reconsider handing out motorcycles as palliatives or constituency gifts. He alleged that a number of these motorcycles eventually find their way to bandits, effectively providing criminal groups with the mobility they need to carry out attacks and evade security forces.
Musa said motorcycles distributed through constituency projects face the same risk, warning that what is given as a gesture of goodwill in one community can become a security threat in another.
Musa criticises El-Rufai's tenure as Kaduna governor
Legit.ng earlier reported that Defence Minister Gen. Christopher Musa made strong accusations against former Kaduna governor Nasir Elrufai over his time in office.
Musa claimed Elrufai deliberately divided Kaduna state and had plans linked to the killing of people in the state.
The minister praised current Governor Uba Sani for reversing the damage he said Elrufai caused during his tenure.
Source: Legit.ng
