Bashir Magashi, the Minister of Defence has stated that the critical military objective of the total defeat of the terrorists in the North East was already being achieved.
He said while areas where terrorists hitherto had some freedom of action were being cleared, socio-economic life was gradually returning to most parts of the North East.
Magashi said in the South South, the security agencies had prevented crude oil theft worth over $500m over the past few months.
He said the South West was the most peaceful zone though recent terrorist activities had tended to redefine the situation in the zone as cases of kidnapping for ransom, armed robbery, pipeline vandalism and petroleum products theft, cultism and smuggling had occasionally constituted security threats there.
He said Operation AWATSE was being conducted mostly in Lagos and Ogun States to tackle pipeline vandalism and petroleum products theft as well as sea robbery.