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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Conflict & Security

Nigeria’s Military Says It Will Not Negotiate with Terrorists or Support Ransom Payments

From ThisDay · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Nigeria’s military said it will not negotiate with terrorists or support ransom payments and intends to target armed groups attacking civilians.
  • The Defence Headquarters said the planned withdrawal of about 200 US personnel does not signal an end to the Nigeria-US security partnership.
  • Major-General Samaila Uba said the military will support non-kinetic security efforts while retaining primary responsibility for kinetic operations.

Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters has issued an unequivocal position on ransom and dialogue with armed groups: the military does not negotiate with terrorists, bandits or other criminal elements, and it does not support paying them.

Major-General Samaila Uba, the military’s spokesperson, made the statement at a joint security press briefing in Abuja. He said the armed forces’ main responsibility is kinetic operations and that they want to “take down all the terrorists in Nigeria, or anybody who takes up arms against citizens in Nigeria.”

The Nigerian armed forces do not negotiate with terrorists. We also do not support the payment of any ransom.

— Major-General Samaila UbaNigeria’s military spokesperson states the armed forces’ position on negotiations and ransom.

Uba said the military also participates in a broader, whole-of-society approach to security when other stakeholders conduct non-kinetic operations. That support, he stressed, does not alter the military’s opposition to dialogue with terrorists or ransom payments. State-led initiatives, including the Kaduna State model in Birnin Gwari, remain distinct from the military’s main operational role. In internal security operations, he said, the police are the lead agency and the military provides support.

As much as possible, we want to take down all the terrorists in Nigeria, or anybody who takes up arms against citizens in Nigeria.

— Major-General Samaila UbaUba describes the military’s primary operational responsibility.

The Defence Headquarters also sought to prevent the planned withdrawal of about 200 US military personnel from being interpreted as a rupture in bilateral cooperation. Uba said the Nigeria-US security relationship remains “strong, enduring and mutually beneficial,” and that the personnel change would not affect ongoing collaboration against insurgents in Nigeria, the Lake Chad Basin and the Sahel region.

The briefing also included calls to address the conditions that fuel insecurity, along with a denial that the National Security Adviser was behind the alleged importation of illicit arms intercepted in Lagos. In Borno, Governor Babagana Zulum was leading efforts to resettle refugees in communities as the state praised the troops’ work.

The relationship between Nigeria and the United States remains strong, enduring and mutually beneficial.

— Major-General Samaila UbaHe says the planned withdrawal of about 200 US personnel will not end security cooperation.
About this summary

Originally published by ThisDay in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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