58 Terrorists Killed, 57 Arrested, 743 Surrender, Says DHQ

Defence Headquarters (DHQ) yesterday said troops operating in the North East and North West killed 58 terrorists, arrested 57 suspected terrorists/logistics suppliers and rescued 39 kidnapped civilians in two weeks.

The director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Musa Danmadami said 743 terrorists and members of their families, comprising 42 adult males, 251 adult females and 452 children surrendered to troops at different locations within the theatre of operation between the period of 1 – 15 June 2023.

In the North East, he said troops of operation Hadin Kai neutralised 20 Boko Haram/Islamic State of West Africa Province terrorists, captured seven suspected terrorists, apprehended 40 suspected terrorists logistics suppliers and 15 notorious criminal gang members.

The troops also arrested four drug peddlers, three kidnappers and three terrorists collaborators and recovered 14 AK47 rifles, one G3 rifle, six dane guns, one FN rifle, one pistol, two 36 hand grenades, two locally made grenades, one RPG tube, one pump action  gun, 547 rounds of 7.62mm special, 75 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 46 empty cases of 7.62mm NATO, 15 empty cases of 7.62mm special, 10 empty cases of 12.7mm ammunitions and one Improvised Explosive Device detonating fuse.

Other items recovered include; 27 sacks of grinded corn, 10 bags of corn grains, 6 bags of beans, five bags of local rice, gallon of palm oil, 12 sleeping mats, clothing’s, 37 sachets of seasoning powder, 15 packs of spaghetti, 12 bar soaps, three vehicles, eight chemical sprayer, two packs of maggi seasoning, five pairs of Boko Haram terrorist uniforms, eight cartons of fish, 10 motorcycles, 49 bicycles, 14 arrows, 16 mobile phones, 12 sacks of substances suspected to be cannabis and the sum of N11,046,010.00 only.

“Troops equally rescued 15 kidnapped civilians, while a total of 743 terrorists and members of their families, comprising 42 adult males, 251 adult females and 452 children surrendered to troops at different locations within the theatre of operation,” he said.

In the North West, he said troops of Operation Hadarin Daji neutralized 38 terrorists, apprehended 10 and rescued 24 kidnapped civilians.

The troops within the weeks in review, also recovered 20 AK47 rifles, 92 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 894 rounds of 7.62mm special, two PKT gun, one pump action gun, one beretta pistol, 28 AK47 magazines, eight rounds of 9mm ammunition, 83 rounds of 7.62 x 54mm special, 5 dane guns, and 3 IEDs.

Other items include 19 motorcycles, 10 mobile phones, 3 Boafeng radio and 34 cattle.

He said all recovered items, arrested suspects and rescued civilians have been handed over to the appropriate authority for further action.

In a related development, the air component of operation Hadin Kai conducted several air operations against terrorists’ enclaves and logistics to degrade them.