The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has officially expanded its surrender policy to cover non-state actors across the entire country, not just to terrorists and bandits in the northern region.
The amnesty window now formally includes armed groups operating in the South-East, South-South, and South-West.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, confirmed this yesterday in Abuja while fielding questions about the recent surrender of several militants to troops of Operation Udo Ka in the South-East.
Onoja clarified that gunmen in these southern regions are now welcome to lay down their weapons at any time.
He stated that the Armed Forces will receive the surrendered fighters in strict compliance with international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions. The military will then hand them over to the appropriate legal authorities for further action.
When asked about a specific timeframe, the defence spokesman confirmed there is no deadline for non-state actors to surrender. However, he issued a strong warning that the military is actively intensifying its kinetic operations against those who refuse to yield.
This nationwide expansion comes just days after the Nigerian Army recorded major breakthroughs under Operation Udo Ka. Sustained military pressure recently forced members of a militant group in the South-East to voluntarily surrender their arms.
Troops from the 82 Division recovered an AK47 rifle, two magazines, 54 rounds of special ammunition, and four locally fabricated firearms. This success occurred after a surrendered suspect directly led soldiers to the group’s hidden armoury.
In a separate intelligence operation, the military also recovered two General Purpose Machine Guns, 45 rounds of ammunition, and an improvised explosive device.
DHQ noted that these voluntary surrenders prove their ongoing strategic operations are successfully weakening criminal networks across the region.
The South-East has remained one of Nigeria’s major security flashpoints in recent years.
The region has recorded repeated attacks on security personnel, government facilities and civilians, leading to increased military deployments and joint security operations.
To address the security situation, the Nigerian Army launched Operation UDO KA, a joint military operation designed to dismantle criminal camps, restore law and order and improve security across the five South-East states.
Until now, the military’s surrender programme had largely been associated with Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province fighters in the North-East, as well as armed bandits operating across parts of the North-West and North-Central.
The DHQ had in May 31, 2024, vowed a stronger military response after gunmen attacked troops at Obikabia Junction in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State, leaving five soldiers dead while six civilians also lost their lives during the incident.
Following the attack, the then Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, blamed the assault on members of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Reacting to the incident, Buba declared that the military would intensify its operations against those behind the attack.
He said, “The military will be fierce in its response. We will bring overwhelming military pressure on the group to ensure their total defeat.”
The attack drew nationwide attention because it targeted security personnel on duty and heightened concerns over persistent violence in parts of the South-East.
Following the incident, the military increased operations under Operation UDO KA, carrying out several intelligence-driven raids across the region.
In subsequent operations, troops announced the recovery of arms and ammunition from suspected IPOB and Eastern Security Network (ESN) camps, while a number of suspects were arrested for further investigation.
