Troops Kill 266 Terrorists, Rescue 116 Hostages In January

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has asked terrorists to surrender or be killed as there is no third choice for them.

The director of defence information Major General Edward Buba briefing journalists in Abuja said the armed forces will continue to fulfill its mission of hunting and destroying terrorists and their cohorts across the country in the most professional manner.

“Needless to mention, these terrorists are left with only two choices which is to either be killed or surrender,” he declared.

He said several terrorists and their leaders have been killed or badly injured owing to offensive actions by both land and air forces since the beginning of this year.

“Troops are continuing their actions even at this very moment and we are proud of them and appreciate their brave conduct.

“Even though it might not seem that way due to recent events across the country. The fact remains that our goal is to restore peace and security for citizens to have an enjoyable life. We will continue to do that in spite of the current circumstances.  Troops will continue fighting with great effort,  determination and sacrifice to bring about great results,” he said.

The director said troops in the month of January 2024, neutralized 266 terrorists, arrested 463 violent extremists/insurgents and rescued 116 kidnapped hostages.

He said troops also recovered 447 assorted weapons and 6,697 assorted ammunitions. On the fight against crude oil theft, he said troops in the month of January seized stolen products worth N2,821,503,962.00 only.

Giving a breakdown for the month of January, he said troops recovered 237 AK47 rifles, 26 locally fabricated guns, 18 pump action guns, 55 dane guns, 6,807 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 421 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 16 rounds of 9mm and 506 live cartridges.

Troops also recovered; 1,832,150 litres of stolen crude oil, 523,799 litres of illegally refined AGO, 16,716 litres of DPK and 5,200 litres of PMS amongst other items.

He said troops within the last one week neutralised 105 terrorists and arrested 140 of them.

Troops also arrested 26 perpetrators of oil theft and rescued 86 kidnapped hostages.

He said troops denied the oil theft of the estimated sum of N220,839,500.00 only.

He added that troops recovered 208 assorted weapons and 5,332 assorted ammunitions within the week under review.

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In a breakdown for the week, he said troops recovered; 95 AK47 rifles, one assault rifle, 39 locally fabricated guns, 34 dane guns, 14 pump action guns, 4 fabricated pistol, 3 fabricated pump action gun, one fabricated revolver pistol, two fabricated double barrel gun and locally fabricated arty pieces.

Other items recovered include: 3,830 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 640 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 265 rounds of 7.62 x 54mm ammo, 98 rounds of 7.62 x 51mm ammo, 62 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm ammo, 64 rounds of 9mm ammo, 359 live cartridges, 8 magazines, 6 mobile phones and the sum of N383,200.00 amongst other items.

Meanwhile, in the Niger Delta, he said troops discovered and destroyed 18 illegal refining sites, 9 dugout pits, 19 boats, 21 storage tanks, 35 cooking ovens, three pump machines and eight vehicles.

The troops also recovered 157,300 litres of stolen crude oil, 23,750 litres of illegally refined AGO and 1,050 litres of DPK.

General Buba said, “Because our security challenges are mostly self-inflicted. It is pertinent to urge citizens to rise up to the challenge. It is time to stop the bleeding in order for healing to commence”.

“I urge all segments of society to take example from our gallant troops in the frontlines fighting to achieve the goal of liquidating terrorists and insurgents across the country in order to restore peace and security. These men and women are from all the nooks and crannies of our country, and act shoulder to shoulder as a united force to achieve a common cause of destroying camps of violence in the country”.

He reiterated that, “militaries don’t go to war, rather it is nations that go to war. Our nation is at war, and wars can be complex and ugly. Already, we are witnessing some of the ugly trends of war across the country. It is time for citizens to close ranks with the military to win this war. Citizens are critical in war, and must therefore be quick to realize their role in the ongoing war and act accordingly.”