The Nigeria Police Force has announced a major breakthrough in the fight against insecurity in the North-Central region, reporting the arrest of 129 terrorists across Kwara and Kogi States.

The Force Spokesman, Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed the figures on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television's "Politics Today." He provided a breakdown of the recent operations, confirming that in addition to the arrests, 55 terrorists were neutralized and 309 hostages were successfully rescued from various kidnappers' dens.

Addressing the fatalities, Hundeyin clarified that the terrorists killed were "neutralized" during intense gun battles with police operatives. He emphasized that the deaths occurred during active combat and were not cases of extrajudicial killings.

"The ones killed fell in the line of firefight. I have to make it clear firefight. These were people that were not ready to give up because some of their colleagues were arrested. These were people that decided to fight to the end," the Force PRO explained.

The operations are part of a broader tactical offensive to flush out criminal elements who have been using the forest reserves and border communities between Kwara and Kogi to launch attacks and hold citizens for ransom.