No fewer than 188 terrorists were killed and 330 arrested during operations conducted across the Northern parts of the country last week.
Also, a total of 133 kidnapped persons were rescued by troops deployed across the country within the period under review.
The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, disclosed this in a statement on Friday.
He noted that the recent achievements of the troops had placed them in a strong position to win the ongoing war against terrorists.
The statement read, “The armed forces are working decisively to kill the terrorists, stop the insecurity, and ensure the safety of citizens. Accordingly, we are making the terrorists pay a much heavier price than we have been forced to pay.
“The troops will continue to operate with tremendous force against terrorists across the country. During the week under review, the troops neutralised 188, arrested 330 persons, and rescued 133 kidnapped hostages.
‘’The military is in a good and strong position in the war against terrorists with many terrorist leaders killed. We will continue to provide security for citizens with the tools at our disposal.”
In the ongoing operations against oil theft in the country, Buba said a total of 36 suspects were arrested and stolen crude oil worth N637m was recovered.
“In the SS, troops denied the oil theft of the estimated sum of N637,710,310.00 only. Troops also arrested 36 perpetrators of oil theft.
“Troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 51 dugout pits, 24 boats, 21 storage tanks and 4 vehicles. Other items recovered included 28 cooking ovens and 21 illegal refining sites. They also recovered 672,350 litres of stolen crude oil and 90,530 litres of illegally refined AGO,” he stated.
He, however, said the troops recovered 270 weapons and 5,083 ammunition, giving the breakdown as 122 AK47 rifles, 47 locally fabricated guns, 47 Dane guns, 24 automatic pump action guns, eight locally fabricated pistols, two locally made single barrel guns, a double barrel gun, a hand grenade, and a IED.
“Others are 2,129 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 1,686 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 116 rounds of 9mm ammo, 133 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm ball ammo, 151 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm ammo, 619 live cartridges, 34 magazines, eight HH radios, eight vehicles, 40 motorcycles, six bicycles, 50 mobile phones and N610,210.00 among other items,” Buba added.
Recall that between January and March 2024, the troops killed a total of 2,351 terrorists, arrested 2,308, rescued 1,241 kidnapped hostages, and recovered stolen crude oil worth N20bn in the first quarter of the year.
Source: The Punch
