The Nigerian Army had said that non-state actors in the Northwest now engage in illegal mining.
It added that their entry into the sector and the fluidity of their previous activities like kidnapping, cattle rustling, and killing were compounding security challenges in the geo-political zone.
To keep ahead of the terrorists/ bandits and other non-state actors, the Army vowed to continue a review of its tactics in all parts of the country where its men and officers are working hard to flush them out.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, said this at the opening of a three-day Retreat for Past and Present Commanders of Nigerian Army Operations in Northwest yesterday.
The retreat with the theme, “Reappraising the Nigerian Army’s Approach to Tackling Insecurity in the North West,” was held at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC) in Abuja.
Lt-Gen. Lagbaja, represented by the Chief of Operations, Maj.-Gen. Benson Sinjen, said the activities of the non-state actors have continued to impact the security environment across the country, despite unrelenting efforts by the Army and other security agencies.
He said: “The current security challenges the nation is facing are volatile, complex, and fluid and vary from one zone to another.
‘’In the Northwest, the security situation is made complex and persistent by activities of non-state actors who engage in banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling, illegal mining, and violent attacks, leading to the destruction of life and means of livelihood.
“The activities of these non-state actors have continued to impact the security environment in the Northwest and by extension in our country despite efforts to curb the trend by the Nigerian army, sister services, and other government departments and agencies.”