ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has revealed that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) posed a significant threat in the South-East, while Yoruba Nation agitators were a concern in the South-West in 2023.
During a briefing in Abuja, Major General Edward Buba, the Director of Defence Media Operation, highlighted that the South-South region faced challenges such as oil theft, cultism, and youth restiveness.
He emphasized that various security threats across the country, including kidnapping, armed robbery, communal clashes, and cattle rustling, were fueled by the proliferation of small arms and the influx of illegal arms and ammunition through porous borders.
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Buba underscored the importance of addressing the issue of small arms, citing the prevalence of local arms fabrication factories in the country as contributing to security challenges.
The DHQ acknowledged the need for comprehensive measures to tackle these threats and maintain stability in different geopolitical zones.
Buba said: āThe major threat in the South-East (SE) and South-West (SW) was the secessionist agitations of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Yoruba Nation respectively.
āThe South-South (SS) region continued to experience oil theft, cultism and youth restiveness. However, acts of criminalities such as kidnapping, armed robbery, communal clashes and cattle rustling were common across the 6 geopolitical zones.
āIt is pertinent to point out that most security threats in the country were fuelled by the proliferation of small arms exacerbated by the influx of illegal arms and ammunition through our porous borders and the preponderance of local arms fabrication factories in the country.ā