By Derrick Bangura – Determined to punish Monday’s attack on a Kaduna-bound train, which killed eight passengers and left scores unaccounted for, the military, yesterday, launched a counter-offensive against terrorists suspected of links with the bombing incident, killing 34 of them through air strikes.
The attack created deep fears in citizens and doubt about the ability of the military to defend the country’s democracy and territorial integrity.

In their reaction to the incident, members of the House of Representatives, yesterday, expressed serious worry over the worsening insecurity in the country and lamented that nowhere was safe any longer. The lawmakers demanded the sack of the National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd). They accused the security agencies of profiting from the increasing insecurity in the country.
Similarly, House Majority Leader, Hon. Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, accused the government of failing to live up to expectations. Ado-Doguwa suggested that citizens should be allowed to bear arms in self-defence.
But the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, decried some of the public words of the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, and Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi. The main opposition party said such words tended to confirm its position that the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration knew the whereabouts as well as plans of the terrorists, and deliberately refused to act.
The air interdiction came as troops of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) killed scores of insurgents during a clash in the Lake Chad area.
Nigerian Air Force sought collaboration with the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation in the area of mapping and geo-spatial deliveries, to aid the fight against terrorism.
A military update issued in Abuja, on Thursday, said 34 terrorists were decimated in waves of air strikes.
The update said, “In receiving credible information that at about 2.pm on 30 March 2022, about 70 terrorists on 40 motorcycles and some on foot were sighted moving towards the Akilibu-Sarkin Pawa Road, near Mangoro Village, the Air Component of Operation Thunder Strike swiftly scrambled an aircraft to intercept and neutralise the terrorists.
“As the aircraft approached the scene, several terrorist were seen running in disarray on sighting the aircraft, abandoning their motorcycles to take cover within nearby bushes.
“The terrorists were subsequently engaged in different waves with rockets while those fleeing were mopped up with canons decisively. Feedback from local sources around Mangoro Village, disclosed that 17 motorcycles including 34 dead bodies as well as 14 locally fabricated guns belonging to the terrorist were recovered.”

A source said some of the terrorists fled with multiple gunshot wounds during the encounter, but it was still unclear what roles they played in the attack that killed eight passengers onboard the Kaduna-bound train, with many injured and undetermined number abducted.
Meanwhile, an emergency intelligence meeting coordinated by the Defence Intelligence Agency after the train attack identified three locations as “destinations” of bandits after most attacks within the axis.
The meeting, according to PRNigeria, also considered immediate deployment of integrated security surveillance and monitoring solutions for the rail line.
The locations identified by the intelligence service as bandit dens are in Rijana, Katari and Kasarami.
The places have proximity to the Kaduna-Abuja highway and rail lines.
“These locations are abodes to kidnappers, armed bandits, drug addicts, gun runners, prostitutes and fleeing Boko Haram terrorists,” a senior intelligence source revealed.

The officer further disclosed that a “massive joint security operation” would commence in the areas, simultaneously with the support of recently acquired drones.
The source added, “Some of the services have recently acquired sophisticated Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, the drones to improve surveillance and ensure precisions on attacks on targets.
“We anticipate collateral damages in the initial stages of the operation, even though we will ensure maximum protection of innocent citizens.
“Proper identification exercises of people in the areas would be conducted.”
The meeting of the intelligence operatives was on the heels of a security parley between President Muhammadu Buhari and the service chiefs.
Buhari had given the service chiefs the marching order to find lasting solutions to the incessant attacks on motorists and train passengers by bandits and kidnappers.

Prior to their meeting with Buhari, the duo of Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, and Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Faruq Yahaya, undertook an assessment visit to the scene of the attack.
In another development, troops of the MNJTF, Operation Hadin Kai, eliminated scores of fighters of terror groups, Boko Haram and the Islamic States West Africa Province (ISWAP), in the on-going clearance operations around Lake Chad region.
Security sources said troops successfully cleared Cemente, Bagadaza, Zanari and Wulgo in Gamborun Ngala Local Government Area of Borno State.
A source said, “There were two encounters with the Boko Haram/ISWAP insurgents at Zanari and also at the harbour area. Troops were decisive in both attacks.”
It was gathered that the troops also rescued 21 women, 11 male children and nine female children in the operations, which commenced on March 28, 2022.

Some of the items recovered in the aftermath of the encounter included two gun trucks, 22 bicycles, 18 motorcycles (destroyed in situ), two Rockets Propelled Grenade (RPG) tubes, three Rockets Propelled Grenade Bombs, one NBST Gun, two General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMGs), three GPMG belts, 600 rounds of 7.62 MM NATO, and one FN Rifle magazine, among others.
The Nigerian Air Force sought collaboration with the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation in the area of mapping and geo-spatial delivery.
Speaking during a courtesy visit to the Surveyor General of the Federation (OSGoF), Surv. Abudulganiyu Adeyemi Adebomehin, the Chief of Intelligence of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Abubakar Liman, said the purpose of his visit was to seek areas of further collaboration with OSGoF, because of its expertise, skills and data required to aid NAF in its operations.

He solicited synergy with relevant authorities especially, in the war against insecurity, stating that, “security is everyone’s business. War is a national assignment,” which required the support of every citizen.
The intelligence chief reiterated the significance of the role of OSGoF in the war against criminality in the country.
In his response, Adebomehin said OSGoF, an extra-ministerial establishment of the federal government as the apex mapping arm and responsible for implementing the survey coordination act of the country, was ready to provide all resources at its disposal for the success of the operations of NAF and other arms of the Nigerian Armed Forces. He disclosed that his office produced navigational charts for the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), which was certified by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). He added that OSGoF had acquired more sophisticated equipment and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) as well as a digital printing outfit.
Adebomehin stressed that the surveyors and other staff were already undergoing series of training and retraining in readiness to provide geo-spatial needs of the government, its MDAs, and other sectors of the economy.