The Defence Headquarters says its troops have eliminated 108 terrorists, arrested 172 persons and rescued 214 hostages.
Defence Media Operations Director, Maj Gen Edward Buba, disclosed this on Friday in a press release made available to defence journalists.
Additionally, he said, troops in the Niger-Delta region arrested 32 perpetrators of oil theft, denying them the theft of an estimated sum of N1,346,382,900 only.
Troops also recovered 66 assorted weapons and 4,087 assorted ammunition, with breakdown as follows: 1 dushka, 1 MG, 2 GPMGs, 1 RPG launcher, 1 RPG bomb, 1 AK-56 rifle, 37 AK-47 rifles, 4 MRAPs, 2 GTs, 3 fabricated rifles, 6 dane guns, 3 locally made pistols, 6 magazines, 1 bandolier and 2 HH radios.
Others are: 313 rounds of 7.62mm PKT, 2,362 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 699 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 201 rounds of 7.62 x 54mm, 503 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm, 9 live cartridges, one belt of NATO ammo, 19 vehicles, 44 motorcycles, 3 mobile phones and the sum of N4,986,000.00 only amongst other items.
In the fight against oil theft, troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 487 dugout pits, 32 boats and 12 storage tanks. Other items recovered include 71 cooking ovens, 2 speedboats, 2 pumping machines, 2 HH radios, 19 vehicles, 32 motorcycles, one tricycle, one wheelbarrow and 76 illegal refining sites.
Troops recovered 1,133,800 litres of stolen crude oil, 228,770 litres of illegally refined AGO, 100 litres of DPK and 20,000 litres of PMS.
Buba reiterated that the armed forces remains a formidable force for the emerging threats confronting the nation, particularly occassioned by the prevailing issues of protest in the country that took a violent and subversive dimension. “Indeed, as part of our constitutional responsibilities, we will not relent in tackling these threats to ensure the stability of our nation”, he said, adding, that they will work assiduously to provide the enabling environments to support government in the attainment of objectives in addressing the issues of poverty and hardship in the country.
“Overall, the military would not allow enemies of democracy to derail the democratic process in our nation. Essentially, as part of our mandate as a force, we are committed to ensuring that democracy thrives in our nation”, he said.
