No Traces After Airstrikes: Defence Minister Explains

The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), has clarified why no physical remains were recovered following recent United States airstrikes against terrorist enclaves in Nigeria, attributing it to the sophisticated nature of the weapons deployed.

Speaking on Thursday during a live interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time, Musa said the terrorists were eliminated using advanced military hardware whose impact leaves little or no visible evidence on the ground.

According to him, the operation involved high-precision weaponry, including Tomahawk missiles, designed to neutralise targets decisively without leaving identifiable remains.

He dismissed speculations surrounding the absence of debris or bodies, stressing that such outcomes were consistent with modern warfare tactics.

On claims that some of the missiles may not have detonated, the Defence Minister described this as a deliberate element of battlefield strategy.

In his words, deception remains a core component of military operations, noting that not every action in a conflict theatre is meant to be immediately understood by the adversary or the public.

Musa maintained that the security operations were producing tangible results and assured Nigerians that further gains would be recorded in the coming days.

He also revealed that the US-led strikes were complemented by simultaneous offensives carried out by Nigerian forces across multiple locations.

The Defence Minister said units of the Nigerian Air Force, Navy and Army were actively engaged in coordinated attacks on other terrorist strongholds, adding that significant progress had already been made since the beginning of the year.

He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to sustaining the momentum against terrorism, insisting that the evolving strategy was delivering measurable outcomes in the nation’s security architecture.