Troops Neutralise 2,245 Terrorists, Rescue 1,993 Kidnapped Victims In Q2, 2024
By Anne Osemekeh, Abuja
The Defence Headquarters has revealed that troops of the Armed Forces have eliminated 2,245 terrorists and rescued 1,993 kidnapped victims between April and June 2024.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj Gen Edward Buba, made the revelation Thursday at a press briefing on the activities of the military in the second quarter of 2024.
Additionally, troops arrested 3,682 suspected terrorists, recovered 2,783 weapons and 64,647 ammunitions, and denied the country’s economic saboteurs of the theft of over N10.5bn within the period under review.
A breakdown of the recovered arms and ammunition reveals 1,169 AK47 rifles, 36,273 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 14,764 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 713 assorted arms and 9,850 assorted ammo.
Others are 9,225,149 litres of stolen crude oil, 2,874,916 litres of illegally refined AGO, 29,900 litres of DPK and 31,380 litres of PMS amongst other items.
Buba pointed out that although troops in such operational theatres as OPERATION WHIRL STROKE in the North-central faced key threats in the region, including banditry by various militia groups, farmers/herders clashes between herder militias and indigenes, kidnapping for ransom by suspected herder militia, gunrunning activities by suspected indigenes of Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba States,
their onslaught largely degraded the potency of bandit groups, even though they remain present in the area.
He added that troops, in anticipation of communal clashes occasioned by the rainy season because of increased encroachment on farmlands, have, with the support of sister services, emplaced measures to minimise these communal clashes and will continue to optimize operations against terrorist and their cohorts.
According to Buba, troops of OPERATION HADARIN DAJI, within the quarter, witnessed
major security threats such as
kidnap for ransom, attack on remote communities and communal clashes, but they sustained offensive operations to destroy and disrupt terrorists across the Northwest region.
Interestingly, troops’ activities instigated a rival clash among the terrorist groups in a battle for supremacy, leading to the death of several terrorist commanders. The synergy between the security agencies and intelligence agencies, Buba said, greatly assistsd in the optimizing operational exploits against terrorists in the zone.
The activities of troops in other theatres, including OPERATION WHIRL STROKE in the North Central, WHIRL PUNCH in the North West, DELTA SAFE in the South South and UDO KA in the Southeastern region of the country, led to similar feats and saw the elimination and arrest of several violent extremists, and the rescue of several kidnap victims.
Of note is the arrest of one Monday Oluchi Ogwu, at B44 Camp, by troops of OPERATION UDO KA. During search of the camp, several corpses in shallow graves were exhumed within the camp vicinity.
The troops also arrested a high profile member of IPOB/ESN in the person of one Mr Onwuha Onyebuchi at Agwu LGA of Enugu State. According to the Defence Media chief, Onyebuchi and several others are assisting ongoing investigation.
Buba averred that, the military has greatly degraded the terrorists, even though they are still present in the theatres of operation.
“It would take time and effort to completely destroy these terrorists, particularly as counter insurgency is akin to a marathon not a sprint”, he said.
He also disclosed that troops’ operations are continually assessed “in order to make adjustments in our actions, thereby amending our operations to increasingly ensure we minimize civilian casualties. Our operations are progressing according to plan even as we abide by international laws governing armed conflict”.
“Overall, we will do everything within the bounds of the law to make our nation safe for citizens. The military will keep up with the fighting spirit and maintain the stamina in the front lines. Our pride is to risk our lives, to save the lives of our citizens. This is what we do to secure our country”, said Buba.
