The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has reported that troops engaged in internal operations across Northern Nigeria have achieved significant successes in combating terrorism. Within the past week, they eliminated 188 terrorists, apprehended 330 others, and rescued 133 hostages.
Major General Edward Buba, the Director of Defence Media Operations, disclosed these achievements in a statement released on Friday, April 12. Additionally, troops arrested 36 suspected oil thieves and recovered stolen products valued at N637.7 million.
During the operations, the troops seized 270 assorted weapons and 5,083 assorted ammunition. These included 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, one double barrel gun, one hand grenade, and one improvised explosive device (IED).
Furthermore, recovered items comprised 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 handheld radios, eight vehicles, 40 motorcycles, six bicycles, 50 mobile phones, and the sum of N610,210, among other items.
In addition to their successes against terrorism, troops in the Niger Delta region located and dismantled 21 illegal refining sites, 51 dugout pits, 24 boats, 21 storage tanks, and four vehicles. They also recovered 28 cooking ovens, 672,350 litres of stolen crude oil, and 90,530 litres of illegally refined automotive gas oil (AGO).
Major General Buba emphasized that numerous terrorist leaders have been neutralized, reaffirming the military’s unwavering commitment to securing victory in the ongoing battle against insurgency and criminality.
