Troops Arrest 198 Terrorists, Kill 99

Troops on internal security operations across the country have killed 99 terrorists, arrested 198 and rescued 139 hostages in one week, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has said.

The director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, stated this yesterday during an update on military operations.

He said the troops arrested 49 suspected oil thieves and seized stolen crude worth N1.018 billion.

Buba said the troops also recovered 141 assorted weapons and 1,463 assorted ammunitions in the period under review.

He said the military is progressing towards its goal of total destruction of terrorists, violent extremists and others creating insecurity in the country.

„In this war, the military is learning every day how to better deal with the threat posed by these groups.

“We are maximizing the substantial advantage that we have such as air superiority and aerial cover for the ground forces. The joint operational environment is witnessing communication and coordination of fires between ground and aerial assets to decimate the enemy on the ground,“ he said.

Buba gave a breakdown of recovered weapons as follows: one GPMG, one GT3 rifle, one assault rifle, 49 AK47 rifles, one Josef magnum pump action gun, one double barrel gun, 2 single barrel guns, nine locally made pistols, 13 dane guns, one hand grenade, seven locally made rifles, three RPG chargers and two locally made hand grenades.

Other weapons recovered are; 347 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 966 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 25 rounds of 9mm ammo, 58 live cartridges, 50 rounds of empty cases of 7.62mm special ammo, 30 magazines, 27 vehicles, 47 mobile phones, 34 motorcycles and sum of N717,580.00 amongst other items.

Meanwhile, in the Niger Delta, he said troops identified and destroyed 50 illegal refining sites, 245 dugout pits, 31 boats, 69 storage tanks, 23 vehicles, 162 cooking ovens, one pumping machine, three outboard engines, and one tricycle.

Troops also recovered 578,900 litres of stolen crude oil, 454,330 litres of illegally refined AGO and 10,000 litres of DPK.

General Buba while calling on Nigerians to join in the fight against insurgents and extremist groups, further reiterated that „the military is ready, capable and eager to continue its mission of securing the country by the destruction of terrorists, extremists and insurgents.”

„Given that there are several lines of operation in countering insurgency, it is pertinent to state that combat operations against these insurgents, terrorists and extremists remains one line of action. It is for this reason that the armed forces are calling on Nigerians for support, particularly in the area of public opinion. We have to show support for our troops to win this war,“ he said.

The director said the gallant men and women of the armed forces continue to put themselves in harm‘s way to ensure the safety and security of citizens. „We have to exhibit patriotism and encourage them in our public discussion,“ he added.

He said the armed forces under the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, is open to workable ideas to improve ongoing operations.