North-East is more secure now, says Maj.-Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar

The Theatre Commander of the Joint Task Force, North-East Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), Maj.-Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, emphasized the improvement in security across the North-East region of Nigeria, due to the counter-terrorism operations and collaboration among security agencies.
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In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Maiduguri, Abubakar emphasized that the Armed Forces of Nigeria have maintained strategic operations, successfully denying terrorists freedom of movement and access to logistics that once fuelled their terror activities. 
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He added that the operations launched resulted in the neutralization of about 26 key terrorist commanders in the last two months.
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Abubakar mentioned how insurgent camps in Sambisa Forest, the Mandara Mountains, the Tumbuns, and Lake Chad Islands have been cleared, forcing terrorists into isolated pockets. Socio-economic activities are resuming, with markets reopened, schools functioning, and roads once unsafe now facilitating daily movement.
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He acknowledged global dynamics impacting local insecurity, including technological proliferation of armed drones and improvised explosive devices by terrorists. Nevertheless, he pointed to recoveries of arms, ammunition, and vehicles, and noted how intelligence-led missions thwarted terrorist operations, making reference to the July 2025 operation in Dikwa where over 50 lethal IEDs were seized.
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The commander assured that additional troops and surveillance units have strengthened vulnerable border areas like Kirawa. He called on residents to cooperate by providing credible intelligence and denying support to terrorists, stressing a whole-society approach to combating insurgency.
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