Why Troops Rescue Hostages Without Killing Terrorists — Defence Minister

The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), has explained that the rescue of kidnapped victims without the arrest or killing of their captors is often the result of military pressure that forces terrorists to abandon their hostages and flee.

Naija News reports that Musa said security forces sometimes avoid a direct confrontation by surrounding criminal hideouts, restricting escape routes and cutting off supplies until the abductors are forced to retreat.

The minister gave the explanation on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday amid questions over recent operations in which kidnapped victims were recovered without reported casualties among their abductors.

Musa dismissed the assumption that armed terrorists would always remain at their camps and engage advancing troops in gun battles.

According to him, many flee once they realise security forces have located them or when military assets approach their positions.

Musa said, “Sometimes if you carry out manoeuvres. The funny thing is, the terrorists too don’t want to die. I hope you know that. All this one they’re doing carrying weapons, they don’t want to die.

“So once there’s anything, even if it’s a drone that comes, you see them scatter away and leave everybody. That’s what happens.”

He said such situations could allow troops to recover hostages without engaging the kidnappers in a firefight that might also endanger the captives.

The former Chief of Defence Staff said another strategy involved disrupting the logistics that sustain terrorist camps.

Rather than focusing solely on armed confrontation, Musa said security forces identify locations used by the criminals and restrict access to supplies such as food, water and fuel.

Musa further stated, “So what we normally do is once we’re able to identify where they are, we block avenues for them. Like I said, take out the oxygen, they will die.

“As long as people go to support, to sneak in, give them fuel, give them water, give them food, give them all this, these are the things that are making them thrive. Once they don’t have that, they can’t survive.”

The Defence Minister also spoke about efforts to follow financial transactions connected to kidnapping and other criminal activities.

He said ransom-related payments could provide investigators with leads capable of helping them trace criminal networks.

Musa said the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was strengthening efforts to identify and track suspicious transactions.

“I’m happy that the CBN too is living up to expectation, trying to make sure that even if we were able to trace monies that are coming in from those other areas, we can track back where they are,” he said.