In a determined bid to prove the resolve and resilience of its courageous troops, Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) said that in the last two weeks of serial crackdown on criminals, 68 kidnap victims were rescued, 182 terrorists arrested while also busting illegal crude oil refining sites and arresting 16 suspected oil thieves and One billion, two Hundred and Twelve Million, Forty Six Thousand, One Hundred and Forty Naira (N1, 212, 046,140.00) worth of impounded crude oil in the Niger Delta region.
Director Defence Media Operations at the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), Major General Edward Buba disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja during the regular bi-weekly media briefing on activities and operational successes being recorded in the various operational theaters within all the six geo-political zones of the country.
According to him, the troops rescued 68 victims of kidnap, arrested 182 terrorists while 14 suspected oil thieves fell to the superior fire power in the last two weeks of intense raids on criminals across the country.
In the South South Zone where oil theft is of concern to Federal authorities, the gallant troops impounded stolen crude oil worth One billion, two Hundred and Twelve Million Forty Six Thousand One Hundred and Forty Naira (N1, 212,046,140.00) only.
According to Major General Danmadami, the military achieved the feats as well as significant results by using a combination of kinetic and non-kinetic means to conduct the operations in the various operational theatres across the country. He sued for more public support to the military operations from patriotic Nigerians, saying the activities of criminals posed potential threats to lives and livelihoods of all Nigerians irrespective of creed, race, gender, region, religion and political affiliations.
Speaking specifically on counter-terrorism operations, Major General Edward Buba who is of the Nigerian Army Intelligence Corps disclosed that no fewer than 73 terrorists were neutralized in operations last week while an unspecified number of terrorists were killed in air raids at Bukar Meram terrorists training Area in Borno State.
He said that the successful operations were conducted ” in collaboration with our foreign partners’’, adding that ‘’the military conducted a surgical operation targeted at the residence of an ISWAP terrorist commander in Niger State”
He said that several arrests and discoveries were made during the operation but added that not mush could be revealed at the moment as the operation was still ongoing. He however maintained that the precise operation had a high degree of success as one of several others being conducted to flush out the terrorist.
He further disclosed that during the week under review, troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 15 dugout pits, 45 boats, 87 storage tanks, 128 cooking ovens, one pumping machine, 4 outboard engine and 63 illegal refining sites.
According to him, the determined troops also recovered 962,500 litres of stolen crude oil, 35,420 litres of illegally refined AGO, 38,450 litres of DPK and 45,000 litres of PMS.
He added that intense operations of troops were successfully and exponentially penetrating the three Northern Zones of the country, noting that led the troops had recovered 119 assorted weapons and 1,537 assorted ammunitions, a breakdown of which he gave as follows: one GPMG, 3 PKT guns, 39 AK47 rifles, 5 locally fabricated rifles, one locally made double barrel gun and one barreta pistol.
Others include 4 locally made pistols, 5 RPG bombs, 5 pu,p action gus, one short gun, one hand grenade, 2 dane guns, one AK47 rifle loaded with 14 rounds of 7.62mm special, one locally made pistol loaded with live cartridges.
Others are: 586 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, a bag containing 287 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 389 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 141 rounds of 7.62mm special (belted) ammo, 12 rounds of 9mm ammo, 113 rounds of live cartridges, 25 empty magazine, 13 vehicles, 3 motorcycles, 10 mobile phones, 2 HH radio, one boafeng radio and the sum of N3, 308,700.00, amongst other items.
Major General Buba assured the citizens that the Armed Forces of Nigeria was on top of the ongoing countrywide counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations in the country.
”Significantly, these operations have killed or captured several terrorist, extremist leaders, their facilitators, key associates and numerous of their foot soldiers.” he said.
