On Friday, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) stated that the gallant troops of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) and other security agencies in the country, in the renewed war against insurgency in various theatres of operations across the six geopolitical zones, neutralised 31 terrorists, arrested 81 others, apprehended 11 perpetrators of oil theft, and rescued 10 kidnapped hostages.
Additionally, a total of 63 BH/ISWAP terrorists and their families surrendered to troops during the same period.
This information was contained in the Operational Reports on the ongoing military operations as of Friday, which were made available to defence correspondents in Abuja by the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba.
The DDMO stated that this progress was made possible through the partnership between the Armed Forces and citizens in combating a common enemy—the terrorists and violent extremist groups in the country.
He explained, “Accordingly, the military, through its operations, continues to prevail against the effects of insurgency and terrorism with the ultimate goal of securing the country against perpetrators of insecurity for national progress.”
He added that troops also thwarted oil theft, amounting to an estimated sum of Two Hundred and One Million Four Hundred and Two Thousand Two Hundred and Sixty Naira (N201,420,260.00), while they recovered 65 assorted weapons and 391 assorted ammunition.
According to him, “The breakdown is as follows: 26 AK47 rifles, 4 locally made rifles, 6 Dane guns, 2 locally made pistols, 7 magazines, body armour, ammo, among others.”
He further added, “Others are: 345 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 19 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 7 rounds of 9mm ammo, 36 live cartridges, 10 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm warheads, 48 motorcycles, 12 mobile phones, and 43, and the sum of N327,960.00.”
He further mentioned that troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 7 dugout pits, 9 boats, 25 storage tanks, 39 cooking ovens, 3 pumping machines, and 14 illegal refining sites.
Additionally, the troops recovered 367,300 litres of stolen crude oil, 11,353 litres of illegally refined AGO, 12,500 litres of DPK, and 5,000 litres of PMS.
While noting that the ongoing military operations continue to set the stage for social and economic progress, he pointed out that “the ultimate goal is to secure the country through the defeat of those threatening the safety of citizens and perpetrating insecurity across the country.”
