Troops Kill 165 Terrorists, Arrest 238, Rescue 188 Hostages

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has said troops on internal operations across the country killed 165 terrorists, arrested 238 others and rescued 188 hostages.

The director of Defence Media Operation, Major General Edward Buba, who gave the figures on Thursday, said troops arrested 35 suspected oil thieves and recovered stolen products worth N688,125,150.00.

He said troops recovered 153 assorted weapons and 2,182 assorted ammunition.

General Buba gave a breakdown of recovered weapons to include 81 AK47 rifles, 23 fabricated rifles, 27 Dane guns, 13 pump action guns, five locally made pistols, three revolver pistols, 30 AK47 magazines and one bayonet.

Other recovered items include 1,561 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 278 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 70 rounds of 50mm ammo, 72 rounds of 9mm ammo, 87 live cartridges, one baofeng radio, 19 vehicles, 21 motorcycles, 45 mobile phones, and the sum of N64,100.00 only.

Meanwhile, in the Niger Delta, troops discovered and destroyed 65 illegal refining sites, two dugout pits, 58 boats and 39 storage tanks.

Also recovered were 13 cooking ovens, 35 drums, one motorcycle, one tricycle, four-speed boats,13 vehicles, 789,200 litres of stolen crude oil, and 64,950 litres of illegally refined AGO.

He emphasised that the military high Command is not oblivious to some security challenges citizens face in certain quarters and is reassessing operations in those areas to secure better and protect citizens.

He, therefore, “cautions persons or groups from making threats or inflammatory comments on untoward activities against troops’ presence or deployment as a result of ongoing operations. The outcome of such an act is better imagined than experienced,”.

Buba said the military recognises the urgency of ensuring peace and security for all citizens nationwide. Accordingly, it is working on new strategies to better protect the nation and its citizens.