Terrorism-related attacks in Nigeria have declined significantly over the past two years, according to the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris.

Idris disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja during a press conference convened in response to the United States Government’s recent designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern”.

According to the Minister, the Nigerian military and other security agencies are making “real and remarkable” progress in the fight against terrorism.

“The results achieved in recent years, and particularly under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, are both genuine and impressive,” Idris said.

He noted that the Federal Government had intensified efforts to curtail the proliferation of small arms and light weapons among non-state actors.

“Security agencies have recovered and destroyed over 5,000 military-grade rifles and intercepted more than 20 gun-running networks in the past few months,” he stated.

Idris added that the Tinubu administration has invested millions of dollars in modern equipment for security forces and significantly increased the defence and security budget.

“The President has given the military his absolute support, and I assure you there is strong political will to eliminate the last vestiges of this menace from our country,” he said.

Highlighting progress across regions, the Minister said: “In the past two years, significant gains have been made in the war against terrorism across the North-West, North-East, South-East, North-Central, and other parts of the country. Within this period, the number of terrorism-related attacks has plummeted.”

He cited the Global Terrorism Index report released in March, which indicated that terrorist attacks in Nigeria had fallen to their lowest level in over a decade.

Providing further statistics, Idris revealed that in the last eight months alone, the Nigerian military neutralised over 592 terrorists in Borno State, while more than 13,500 terrorists and armed criminals had been killed nationwide.

He added that over 17,000 suspects had been arrested, 11,200 hostages freed, and more than 124,000 insurgents and their families had surrendered, handing over over 11,000 weapons.

“In the North-West, especially Zamfara and Kaduna, 11,250 hostages have been rescued, and notorious terror leaders such as Ali Kachala, Boderi, and Halilu Sububu have been neutralised,” Idris stated.

He further noted that in August, the military intercepted and killed over 400 armed bandits who had converged to attack a village in Zamfara State.

“In the South-East, terror attacks have reduced by almost 80 per cent through the joint efforts of our security agencies. In the North-Central, several criminal elements have been neutralised and many arrests made. The government is ramping up efforts to ensure stronger security in response to emerging threats,” he said.

Idris also confirmed the ongoing prosecution of two internationally wanted terrorism suspects, Mahmud Muhammad Usman and Abubakar Abba, believed to be leaders of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi Biladis Sudan (ANSARU), an Al-Qaeda affiliate in Nigeria.

“Their capture in a high-risk, intelligence-led operation in July marked a turning point in our counter-terrorism campaign,” the Minister said. “Usman, the self-styled Emir of ANSARU, was responsible for coordinating various terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria.”