Troops Kill 27 Terrorists, Arrest 62 Others, Rescue 44 Hostages

A total of 27 terrorists were killed and 62 others arrested, while 44 hostages have been rescued by troops on internal operations across the country within one week.

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) disclosed this on Friday, stating that 23 suspected oil thieves were also apprehended with stolen products worth N292,644,100.00 recovered during the period in review.

Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye said the operations were carried out by troops between January 30 and February 7, 2025.

He gave a breakdown of recovered products to include 253,330 litres of stolen crude oil, 42,000 litres of illegally refined AGO and 5,100 litres of PMS.

General Kangye said troops also recovered 61 weapons and 1,584 ammunitions including 26 AK47 rifles, 4 locally fabricated guns, 9 dane guns, 8 pump action guns, 346 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 53 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 920 rounds of 7.62 x 12.7mm ammo, 16 cartridges, 14 assorted arms and 20 assorted ammunitions.

In the Niger Delta, the director added that troops discovered and destroyed 220 crude oil cooking ovens, 23 dugout pits, two boats, 17 storage tanks, seven drums and 24 illegal refining sites.

He listed other items recovered to include one pumping machine, three motorcycles, two mobile phones and two vehicles, among others.