The Commander of Operation Fansan Yamma (OPFY), Maj.-Gen. Oluyinka Soyele, has said that the northwest is now safer than before due to the military’s intensified operations against bandits and terrorists in the region.

He said the establishment of OPFY has ensured better coordination of military operations in the northwest, which has culminated in an improved military onslaught against the country’s adversaries.

The Commander said this when he received Defence Correspondents at the OPFY Headquarters in Gusau, Zamfara State, on Wednesday.

The correspondents were in Northwest as part of the Defence Headquarters’ (DHQ) efforts to give journalists firsthand experience on the frontline.

Gen. Soyele said some roads previously impassable due to bandit activities are now motorable, and communities formerly held hostage by adversaries have been liberated following the troops’ push against them.

He said, “The establishment of the theatre command has made the fight against terrorists more coordinated, unlike before when different units conducted operations independently without proper coordination.

“With our operations now more coordinated, terrorists find it difficult to move freely from Zamfara State to other parts of the Northwest. When we conduct an operation in Zamfara State, our troops in other areas are on alert, ready to intercept terrorists attempting to cross into their territories.”

Responding to reporters’ questions on whether the military is overwhelmed in the battle against terrorists, the theatre commander said that while no amount of manpower is ever enough during battle, the military is utilising combat enablers to support human combatants.

“We have more equipment now to aid our operations,” he said.

Gen. Soyele said that some major challenges in the fight against terrorists and bandits in the Northwest is the vastness of the terrain and its topography. He said, “Many communities in remote areas are inaccessible, making it challenging for us to respond quickly when we receive reports of terrorists in those areas due to the lack of accessible roads, which often serve as hideouts for them.

“But our strategy is to take the battle to their enclaves and engage them. Through this tactic, we have been able to neutralise many terrorist kingpins.” (The Nation)