The military high command has said the days of notorious bandit kingpin, Kachalla Bello Turji, are numbered.
The military’s reaction came less than 24 hours Turji k!lled 12 farmers in Lugu town, Isa Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
It specifically dismissed the claims that the military had downscaled operations against herdsmen, terrorists, cattle rustlers, among others, adding that it would remain focused in capturing Turji.
Turji was said to be returning from a Sallah visit to a community in Isa, when he carried out the attack.
Fielding questions from journalists at Defence Headquarters during a press briefing on Thursday, the Director, Defence Media Operations, Major-General Markus Kangye, said they could continue to neutralise high-profiled terrorists hibernating in forests.
“Then on the aspect of whether the troops are not, or they have downscaled their operations against Cattle rustlers and some terrorists,” he said.
“No. Like I read out, troops intercepted some trucks loaded with cows, and they recovered them, and they are still on the hunt for high-value terrorists.
“I have also read out the report for the quarter, some high-value terrorists that were eliminated during the quarter. I have mentioned their names. So as for Bello Truji, it is just a matter of time, an appointment will be fixed with him by his maker.”
Commenting on the withdrawal of Niger Republic from the Multinational Joint Task Force, the senior military officer stated that such a move would have serious security implications.
According to him, the MNJTF remains a critical regional security collaboration and that efforts must be made to prevent any member state from leaving.
“When you hear dem say, it means the information lacks credibility. I think this area has been a subject of discourse for the past few months, especially when some members of ECOWAS decided to form an alliance and attempted to exit ECOWAS,” he said.
“But, you know, the Multinational Joint Task Force was established by the Lake Chad Commission countries to address their common security concerns
“Nigeria has been making significant efforts to ensure the sustainability of this task force. However, if for any reason a member decides to pull out, the implications will be substantial. The synergy we are supposed to enjoy may no longer be there.
“It is not in our interest for any country to leave because whatever affects them also affects us. If a country withdraws, it creates a gap in effort and reduces the strength of the contingent from that country.
“Therefore, efforts must be made to prevent such a situation from happening. Do you understand? We will continue to examine the situation, and as we always do, we will provide further briefings when necessary.”
Addressing concerns about the welfare of injured troops, Kangye refuted allegations of neglecting soldiers wounded in action.