Defence

Troops Neutralize 115 Terrorists, Arrest 51 Oil Thieves

By Anne Osemekeh, Abuja

The Defence Headquarters has disclosed the that military troops have neutralized 115 terrorists, arrested 51 perpetrators of oil theft and rescued 138 kidnap victims.

The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj Gen Edward Buba, made this known on Thursday at the bi-weekly press briefing with defence correspondents at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja.

According to him, troops continue to act and respond forcefully against terrorists, collecting intelligence, hunting them and striking locations in which they are confirmed to be hibernating.

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These well coordinated and executed operations, Buba said has led to significant achievements, such as the elimination of a notorious terrorist commander, Munzur Ya Audu, in the Northeast.

“The aim of the armed forces in the ongoing counter terrorism and counter insurgency war remains to find and destroy the terrorists and their cohorts whenever they may be hiding in our country”, he said, adding that serious efforts have been emplaced at dismantling the military capabilities and destroying the terror networks of these groups.

In the Southsouth, troops denied the oil theft of the estimated sum of Nine Hundred and Twenty One Million Eight Hundred and Forty Seven Thousand One Hundred and Forty Six Naira (N921,847,146.00) only.

They also recovered 145 assorted weapons and 3,825 assorted ammunition, made up of 1 GPMG, 2 PKT guns, 68 AK47 rifles, 2 AK56 rifles, 24 fabricated rifles, 28 dane guns, 1 fabricated revolver pistol, 6 locally made pistols, one pistol, 8 pump action guns, one hand grenade, 4 fabricated hand grenades, one RPG bomb and 3 explosives.

Others are 2,093 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 246 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 317 rounds of 7.62mm GPMG/PKM ammo, 129 live cartridges, 28 shotgun cartridges, 500 empty case of MG ammo, 147 empty cases of 7.62mm ammo, 3 empty cases of cartridges, 54 magazines, 3 baofeng radios, 3 handheld radios, one bandolier, 12 vehicles, 24 motorcycles, 11 bicycles, 51 mobile phones and the sum of N7,245,500.00 only amongst other items.

In the Niger Delta area, troops discovered and destroyed 78 crude oil cooking ovens, 21 dugout pits, 56 boats, 56 drums, 26 storage tanks and 56 illegal refining sites.

Other items recovered include 2 speedboats, one barge, 2 tricycles, one pumping machine, 2 walkie talkies, 2 outboard engines, 9 mobile phones and 12 vehicles among others. They recovered 872,070 litres of stolen crude oil and 67,985 litres of illegally refined AGO.

Buba said also that the Nigerian Air Force has been striking the terrorist enclaves with air attacks, exerting significant military power on areas in which the terrorists are hibernating.

“Overall, troops are mission focussed, prepared and motivated to winning the war against terrorism. We recognise that it is a difficult task and that there would be casualties. We are doing our possible best to minimise the casualties.

“On the whole, it is our pride as a force to place ourselves in harms way in order to protect our citizens. We are fully committed to defeating all threats in order for citizens to live in a safer and more secured environment. This is the sacrifice we make as a force, for our nation”, Buba said.

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