The Nigerian military has recorded another victory in its fight against terrorism with the killing of a notorious Boko Haram/ISWAP commander, Malam Jidda, and several of his fighters in Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State. The joint operation, hailed as a significant strike against insurgent forces, was reported in a video segment aired on TVC News.
Reacting to the development, security expert and Director General of the International Institute of Professional Security, Tony Ofoyetan, emphasized the need to build on the success by focusing on the deeper structures supporting terrorism.
“We are going to attack them from the root — their financer and the source of their weapons,” Ofoyetan stated during the interview. He noted that while eliminating foot soldiers is commendable, the real solution lies in dismantling the operational networks and financial pipelines that sustain terrorism in Nigeria.
According to him, insurgency will persist if efforts are not made to track and prosecute those funding and equipping terrorist cells. He called on intelligence agencies, particularly the Department of State Services (DSS), to go beyond field operations and focus on uncovering the sponsors, suppliers, and international collaborators behind these groups.
“While one zone is hot and the terrorists try to escape to another, they should meet equal resistance,” Ofoyetan said, advocating for coordinated military operations across the northeast, northwest, and north-central regions.
He further stressed that targeting only field operatives without addressing their source of funding and arms supply is not enough. “If we attack and wipe them off and their sponsors are still there, another team will emerge,” he warned.
As Nigerians welcome the elimination of Malam Jidda, experts urge the government to view this as a stepping stone toward a broader, more comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy—one that hits terrorism at its root.
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