Troops of the air component of OPERATION HADARIN DAJI have killed notorious terrorist leader identified as Dogo Rabe, alongside 7 members of his gang, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has said.
The Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Musa Danmadami, disclosed this Thursday, during the DHQ’s bi-weekly press briefing on troops’ operational activities in the various operational theaters of the 6 geo-political zones of the country in the past 2 weeks.
The troops bombed the notorious terrorist leader in Gwaska Dankaramis camp at Mashekari area in Zurmi Local Government Area and Sani Dangote Camp in Farara village in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State.
According to him, troops conducted operational activities at various locations within Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi States, during which they neutralized 5 terrorists, arrested 7, and rescued 8 civilians.
Troops also recovered 5 AK47 rifles, 5 motorcycles, 3 bicycles, 15 rounds of 7.62mm special, 5 AK47 magazines, 1 bandolier, 2 locally fabricated AK47 rifles, 2 locally fabricated guns, 3 torch lights, 1 car, 11 pump action cartridges and 52 rustled cattle among other items.
Also in the North East Zone, between 22 September and 4 October, 2022, troops conducted ambushes, clearance operations, fighting patrols and cordon and searches as well as other operations at different locations in Biu, Damboa, Kaga, Kukawa and Gubio Local Government Area all in Borno State.
During the operations, troops arrested 29 Boko Haram Terrorist/Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) logistics suppliers, and recovered 50 big bags of dry fish, 2 big sacks of fried meat, 55 jerry cans of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS),1 big bag of coal, 13 bags of bread, 1 bag of salt, 1 bag of beans, 5 cartons of detergent, 3 packs of batteries, 50 leathers of mosquito coil, 10 mobile phones, 4 vehicles, 1 bicycle and a total sum of Two Million Four Hundred and Seventy Nine Thousand Seven Hundred and Forty Naira (2,479,740.00) as well as other sundry items.
Troops also rescued 2 Chibok girls, Yana Pogu and Rejoice Senki who are serial numbers 19 and 70 of the abducted Chibok girls lists, with their children at Bula Davo village in Bama Local Government Area and Kawur village in Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State with 12 other abductees.
A total of 418 suspected Boko Haram Terrorists/Islamic State of West Africa Province terrorists, who claimed to have lost interest in the ideology of Boko Haram Terrorists surrendered to troops at different locations with their families. These comprised of 44 adults males, 135 adult females and 239 children.
In the North Central Zone, Guards Brigade in Abuja, WHIRL STROKE in Benue and SAFE HAVEN in Plateau State have continued to crack down on the activities of criminal elements in their general areas of operations.
Guards Brigade arrested 5 suspected drug dealers following a raid of an identified illegal drug peddlers’ hideout along Koroduma-Asokoro Guzape in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) of the Federal Capital Territory, and recovered 11 bags of substance suspected to be cannabis sativa from the suspects.
The troops also raided Karshi Hill and surrounding villages in AMAC, following intelligence on plans by hoodlums to disrupt the Independence Day Celebration, and consequently arrested 64 youths dressed in black attire and armed with 9 locally made guns. They also arrested 33 suspected illegal miners at an illegal mining site at Gwagwalada Area Council.
Danmadami added that troops of OPERATION WHIRL STROKE, after a raid operation at a suspected criminal hideout at Otukpa in Ogbadibo local government area of Benue State, engaged terrorists in a fight and killed two of them while others escaped with gunshot wounds.
Similarly, troops’ response to a distress call about the activities of a bandit leader identified as Fullfire and his gang in Zaki Biam and Zamkara in Ukum LGA, led to the arrest of 3 suspected bandits and recovery of 1 locally fabricated AK-47 rifle, 1 dane gun, 2 mobile phones, 1 motorcycle and 1 round of 7.62mm special.
They also raided a suspected terrorists’ hideout in Awe LGA of Nasarawa State, and during their encounter with the terrorists, killed 2 and arrested 4, while 1 AK 47 rifle, 3 dane guns, 1 motorcycle and 3 mobile phones, were recovered.
In the same vein, troops of OPERATION SAFE HAVEN, in conjunction with operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, arrested a notorious kidnapper and armed robbers along Layi in Bauchi State. The suspect, identified as Anas Ayaro, aged 22, has been reportedly involved in major kidnapping, cattle rustling and armed robbery incidents in Plateau and neighbouring states.
In Jos East LGA, troops arrested 9 suspected kidnappers and rescued 8 civilians, while response to a distress call about an attack of gunmen at Fefur community, led to the neutralization of 2 suspects and the recovery of 1 fabricated pistol with 10 rounds of 7.62mm special.
In the South-South zone, troops of the Joint Task Force Operation DELTA SAFE, OCTOPUS GRIP and DAKARTA DA BARAWO in the Niger-Delta region, have sustained pressure towards denying criminal elements freedom of action essential to sustaining a conducive environment for economic activities to thrive, while ensuring a relative peaceful environment for the operations of IOCs and the protection of oil and gas infrastructures in the general area.
In furtherance to this, troops of Operation DELTA SAFE in the conduct of Operation OCTOPUS GRIP conducted operational activities at creeks, waterways, communities, villages, towns and cities within Delta, Bayelsa, Cross Rivers and Rivers State respectively.
During the operations, troops discovered and destroyed 60 illegal refining sites, 58 wooden boats, 6 speed boats, 384 storage tanks, 223 cooking ovens and 60 dugout pits.
Troops also recovered 20 pumping machines, 3 motorcycle, 1 tricycle, 18 vehicles and arrested 34 pipeline vandals while a total of Three Million Seven Hundred and Sixty Four Thousand (3,764,000) litres of crude oil, Four Hundred and Fifty Eight Thousand (458,000) litres of Automotive Gas Oil, One Thousand (1,000) litres of Premium Motor Spirit and Thirteen Thousand (13,000) litres of Dual Purpose Kerosine were also recovered.
In a related development, troops of Operation DAKATAR DA BARAWO in the sustained fight against crude oil theft and maritime illegalities discovered and destroyed a total of 14 illegal refineries, 72 metal storage tanks, 9 wooden boats, 29 dugout pits, 51 ovens and 25 reservoirs.
Cumulatively, within the weeks under review, oil thieves were denied a total of Two Billion, One Hundred and Forty Six Million Seven Hundred and Ninety Five Thousand, Four Hundred and Seventy Two Naira Forty Two Kobo (N2,146,795,472.42) in the South South region
Also, between 23 to 28 September 2022, the air component of Operation DELTA SAFE conducted 2 air interdiction operations at a location observed to be carrying out illegal refining activities at Ahoada in Rivers State.
The airstrike destroyed the illegal refining sites, including boathouse accommodation and facilities, with several criminals fleeing in disarray during the engagements.
Equally, on 24 September 2022 troops conducted a snap road block and arrested a suspected criminal logistics supplier at Amana in Obanliku Local Government Area of Cross Rivers State. Items recovered from the suspect included 20 pairs of black boots, 20 pairs of special force uniforms, 2 mobile phones and the sum of N15,200 only.
Furthermore, the Media Operations Director said, troops arrested 2 Cameroonians, suspected to be informants to Ambazonian rebels, at a hotel in Ikang in Bakassi Local Government Area of Cross River State adding that all recovered items and arrested suspects were handed over to the appropriate authorities for further action.
In the Southeast geopolitical zone, troops conducted operational activities aimed at checkmating the activities of illegal oil bunkering and other criminal elements in the zone at different locations which include Upuoma community, Abacheke, Okigwe in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area, Okigwe in Okigwe Local Government Area, Ijemekuru village of Imo State.
Other locations, he revealed were Omuma village, Okohia forest in Ukwa Local Government Area of Abia State and Ammorka-Uli community in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State.
During the operations, troops discovered and destroyed several illegal refining sites, 438 sacks of substance suspected to be illegal refined Automotive Gas Oil, 8 cooking ovens, and 7 dugout pits. While 3 motorcycles, 3 vehicle and 2 pumping machines were recovered.
Troops also recovered Eleven Thousand Four Hundred (11,400) litres Automotive Gas Oil.
On 28 September 2022, 82 Garrison troops raided a suspected Indigenous People of Biafra/Eastern Security Network criminal hideout at Enugu South Local Government Area of Enugu State and arrested 8 suspected Indigenous People of Biafra/Eastern Security Network criminals. Troops also recovered substance suspected to be cannabis drug soaked in alcohol, 2 mobile phones, 2 ATM cards and the sum of Eleven Thousand Naira (N11,000.00) only.
Troops’ operations in the southwest zone are no different, as operatives of Operation AWATSE in a joint border patrol at Gbaji-Isahi-Badagry in Badagry Local Government Area intercepted a vehicle convening 350 50kg bags of foreign rice along Dangote-Ilaro road in Yewa Local Government Area of Ogun State.
Also, on 3 October 2022, following human intelligence, joint border patrol teams discovered 145 50kg bags of foreign rice hidden in the bush at Oja-Odan/Ebute in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State.
Recovered items were handed over to Nigerian Custom Service warehouse Abeokuta for further action.
Major General Danmadami conveyed commendations of the military high command on the efforts of troops in the various theatres of operation across the country.
