Moscow, June 12 (RIA Novosti/GNA) – Nigeria has neutralized more than 13,000 terrorists over the past year, with about 124,000 others having laid down their arms, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said on Friday.
In May, the United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM) said that, together with the Nigerian authorities, it had launched a strike against militants of the Islamic State (IS, banned in Russia) terrorist group in the country’s northeast. On May 16, US President Donald Trump said that US and Nigerian forces had eliminated the second-highest leader in the global IS command, Abu-Bilal al-Minuki.
“Over 13,000 terrorists have been neutralised in the past year,” Tinubu said in an address to the nation published by his office.
In addition, about 124,000 more militants and people associated with them have laid down their arms since 2023 thanks to a government program, the Nigerian leader added.
Security efforts have led to an 81% reduction in terrorism-related deaths since 2015, he also said.
GNA/RIA Novosti