By Chimezie Godfrey
The military has neutralized 39 terrorists, and arrested 157 of them within the last one week says Defence Headquarters (DHQ) Abuja.
The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj-Gen. Edward Buba disclosed this during the bi-weekly on the Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies operational activities across the geo-political zones of the country.
Maj-Gen. noted that the ongoing counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations across the country remain critical to the armed forces’ efforts to achieve peace and ensure that violent extremist groups do not find safe haven in the country.
He said the focus of the military was to conduct its operations in support of national security interests.
Accordingly, he said the armed forces would continue to work with supportive groups to defeat any group undermining security and safety in the country.
He said,”During the week leading to 31 August 2023, the military neutralized 39 terrorists and arrested 157 terrorists, 16 perpetrators of oil theft. Troops also rescued 109 kidnapped hostages and denied oil theft of the sum of Seven Hundred and Sixty-Five Million Eight Hundred and Sixty-Three Thousand Naira (N765,863,000.00) only.
“Furthermore, troops recovered 55 assorted weapons and 96 assorted ammunition. The breakdown as follows: 12 AK47 rifles, one GPMG, one HK21 gun, one FN rifle loaded with 5 rounds of NATO ammo, 2 Dane guns, 3 fabricated rifles, one fabricated pistol, 3 locally made pistols, 11 AK47 magazines, 71 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 22 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 2 rounds of 9mm ammo, one cartridge, one bandolier, 7 rounds 7.62mm special empty cases, 24 motorcycles, 13 mobile phones, 10 bicycles and the sum of Eight Hundred and Eighty One Thousand Seven Hundred Naira (N881,700.00).”
Gen. Buba revealed that troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 71 dugout pits, 36 boats, 83 storage tanks, 5 vehicles, 4 motorcycles, 58 cooking ovens, 5 pumping machines, 3 generators, 3 speedboats and 34 illegal refining sites.
He also said troops recovered 569,400 liters of stolen crude oil, 486,000 liters of illegally refined AGO and 59,500 liters of PMS.
He therefore assured that the military would continue to pursue aggressive military operations against violent extremist groups seeking to undermine the security of the country and conduct violence against the people.
“Accordingly, the armed forces remains focused on its core mission and would continually make adjustments along the way to better protect citizens, while isolating and annihilating those groups constituting a security nuisance to the country,” he said.
