By Bassey Asuquo
The Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG) has said that the rescue of another 308 abducted persons after almost six months in captivity is a further testament to the efficiency and efficacy of the coordinated security approach being adopted by the President Bola Tinubu administration in prosecuting the war against terrorism.
This, according to the group, is why the security agencies were able to carry out what clearly became the largest rescue operation ever conducted in a single day in the country.
In a statement by its Chairman Emeka Nwankpa and Secretary Dapo Okubanjo, it noted that the fact that operatives of the military, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the National Counter -Terrorism Centre (NCTC) as well as the police were involved is a reflection of the close water-tight cooperation on the watch of the Tinubu administration.
The statement read in full, “It is almost exactly six months after about 176 residents of Woro Community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State were abducted in a daring terrorist attack that led to the death of scores of people.
“But at a time that residents of the area had almost given up, news filtered out that the victims, mostly women and children, were rescued in a joint security operation alongside 145 others abducted from Niger State.
“Like President Bola Tinubu, we acknowledge the working synergy among security agencies which led to the successful operations. For us, the successful outcome bears a close similarity in dexterity and decisiveness with the recent rescue of 44 students and teachers in the Old Oyo National Park especially as was accomplished without any collateral damage.
“This is exactly how intelligence-driven operations are conducted. It shows the increasing efficiency of the professionalism and coordination among the agencies on President Tinubu’s watch and under the supervision of the Office of National Security Adviser (ONSA) under Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
“We are aware that the victims especially the 176 abducted from Woro in Kwara state spent 6 months in the terrorists’ den, but it was better that security operatives were painstaking in their coordination and rescue strategy rather than going in which could have resulted in the death of the women and children.
“And just like the resolution of the Oriire hostage situation in Oyo state, it is instructive that the recently rescued victims were held in a national park, the Kainji Lake National Park which security analysts believe had been the hub of terrorists groups operating within the Kwara-Niger axis.
“We are hopeful that renewed inter-agency collaboration will pave the way for security agencies to take proactive measures against terrorists operating in and around the park including other forest reserves.
“It is also pertinent to note that the Tinubu administration has set the stage for the establishment of forest guards to protect the nation’s over 1,000 designated forest reserves which are now being used as hideouts by terrorists, kidnappers, and criminal elements.
“We are convinced that with the forest guards initiative coupled with the new inter-agency synergy, and the soon-to-be established state policing, Nigeria is about to witness an all-round better approach to curtailing insecurity”, the statement said.
The group appealed to Nigerians to give more support to the federal government’s efforts at making the country safer, urging them to always resist attempts to politicise security.