Troops Kill 185 Terrorists, Arrest 212, Rescue 71 Hostages

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has said that troops killed 185 terrorists, arrested 212 suspected criminals and rescued 71 hostages across the country in one week.

The Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, who disclosed this in a statement on Friday, said the ugly trend of kidnappings has dimed the light on the successes by troops in combating the terrorists, insurgents and their cohorts across the country to create a safer environment for citizens.

He, however, said troops also arrested 44 suspected oil thieves and recovered 815,980 litres of stolen crude oil, 163,675 litres of illegally refined AGO and 1,750 litres of DPK worth N1,065,885,050.00.

The Director said the troops recovered 224 assorted weapons and 2,337 assorted ammunition.

In a breakdown, he said troops recovered 113 AK47 rifles, one G3 rifle, one PKT gun, 44 locally fabricated guns, four pump action guns, two pistols, two locally fabricated pistols, one berretta pistol, 25 dane guns, one double barrel gun, one single barrel gun, one locally fabricated revolver gun and seven IEDs primed.

Others included; 1,382 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 387 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 74 rounds of 9mm ammo, 23 K2 rounds ammo, 111 live cartridges, 5,410 empty cases of 7.62mm special, 6 empty cases of cartridges, 2 magazines loaded with 60 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 21 magazines, one pistol magazine, 2 bandoliers, 2 vehicles, 22 motorcycles, 47 mobile phones, 11 HH radios and the sum of N2,369,670. 00, amongst other items.

Also, troops discovered and destroyed 51 illegal refining sites, 12 dugout pits, 61 boats, 56 storage tanks, 13 vehicles, 78 cooking ovens and four pumping machines.

He said the military understood the true extent of the threat being faced and was winning the war.

He said countering insurgency was not a sprint but rather a marathon, adding that troops were taking the fight to the terrorists and making strides each passing day.

“Much has been done, and much more is still being done to achieve peace and security across the country.

“The situation therefore calls for all hands on deck with everyone playing their role towards achieving enduring peace,” he stated.

He assured that the Armed Forces on its part has boots on the ground strategically deployed across the country to combat the terrorists, insurgents and their cohorts.