In the recent week, army troops neutralised 106 terrorists and detained 196 others, including perpetrators of oil theft, as part of military operations to clear the country of criminal elements.
The soldiers also freed 103 kidnapped captives following raids on terrorist/bandit strongholds and hideouts.
Major General Edward Buba, Director of Defence Media Operations, stated at a briefing that the military in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 36 illegal refining sites, 20 dugout pits, 24 boats and 34 storage tanks, 56 cooking ovens, 14 pumping machines, 18 drums, and 22 vehicles, among other things.
The military also denied stealing oil worth an estimated N793.53 million.
Giving specifics of the operations, Buba stated, that in the North East, military personnel of Operation Hadin Kai neutralised 41 terrorists, arrested 27 suspects, and rescued 16 kidnappers hostages.
“Troops recovered 17 AK47 rifles, one PKT gun, five fabricated rifles, four Dane guns, 11 magazines, 360 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 195 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 247 empty cases of various calibres of ammo, one Baofeng radio, nine motorcycles, and two mobile phones, amongst others.
“On July 23, 2024, soldiers with hybrid forces conducted night ambush operations and made contact with suspected BH/ISWAP terrorists in Gamboru—Ngala LGA of Borno State.
“Following a firefight, soldiers neutralised 13 terrorists and recovered seven AK47 rifles, five fabricated rifles, one PKT gun, 143 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 94 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, four magazines, four motorcycles, and one mobile phone, amongst others.
“On July 22, 2024, troops in separate raid operations raided suspected terrorist hideouts in Girei and Song LGAs of Adamawa State. During the operations, troops arrested six suspected terrorists.
“On July 17, 2024, following a tip-off, troops conducted a snap check and arrested three suspected BH/ISWAP terrorist collaborators in Geidam LGA of Yobe State.
“During the operations, troops recovered 247 empty cases of various calibres of rounds, 24 different sizes of car batteries, and other IED-making materials.
“On July 18, 2024, following reports, troops responded to information on activities of suspected BH/ISWAP terrorists and made contact in Nganzai LGA of Borno State.“
