Terrorists Resort To Social Media Recruitment Amid Military Pressure
By Anne Osemekeh, Abuja
Troops’ intensified offensive against terrorists and insurgents across the country has forced them into a desperate recruitment drive on social media, the Defence Headquarters has disclosed.
Chief of Defence Media Operations, Maj Gen Edward Buba, said on Saturday that synchronized air strikes by the air force as well as ground operations by ground forces has dislodged terrorists from their enclaves killing several of them.
Of particular note are targeted air strikes by the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI, on 6th November, which led to the neutralization of over 70 extremists in Kwallaram and Arraina Ciki Islands in Borno state.
Meanwhile during the week under review, troops neutralised 169 and arrested 641 persons. They also arrested 40 perpetrators of oil theft and rescued 181 kidnapped hostages.
In the SS, troops denied the oil theft of the estimated sum of One Billion Four Hundred and Two Million Nine Hundred and One Thousand Nine Hundred Naira (N1,402,001,900.00) only.
Furthermore, troops recovered 192 assorted weapons and 2,970 assorted ammunition, with a breakdown as follows: 106 AK47 rifles, 38 fabricated rifles, 26 dane guns, one FN rifle, 3 fabricated revolver pistols, 11 locally made pistols, 5 pump action guns, one dummy AK-47 rifle and one unexploded RPG bomb.
Others are: 1,410 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 1,074 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 67 rounds of 7.62 x 54mm, 130 rounds of 108mm, 101 rounds of 9mm ammo, 146 live cartridges, 2 baofeng radios, 7 vehicles, 29 motorcycles, 40 mobile phones and the sum of N729,000.00 amongst other items.
In the Niger-Delta area, Buba said, troops discovered and destroyed 20 crude oil cooking ovens, 2 dugout pits, 42 boats, 7 reservoirs, 5 drums, 50 storage tanks and 83 illegal refining sites. Other items recovered include 3 pumping machines, 3 outboard engines, one generator set, one speedboat, 8 motorcycles, 3 mobile phones and 3 vehicles among others. Troops recovered 914,445 litres of stolen crude oil, 537,325 litres of illegally refined AGO and 1,285 litres of PMS.
“On the whole, troops’ operations have severely depleted the ranks and files” Buba said, while assuring that the military will continue to sustain the offensives to eliminate all threats.
