The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has confirmed that the Nigerian troops arrested a wanted gunrunner and kidnapper Buhari Umar allegedly terrorising Gombe, Bauchi, Plateau and Kaduna States.
Director Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye disclosed this on Thursday at a regular bi-monthly briefing of defence correspondents on military operations across the country for the month of April.
Major General Kangye also confirmed that troops successfully intercepted a 5-man kidnap gang in Lafia local government area of Nasarawa State, naming the suspects as Hassan Mohammed, Saleh Sani, Idi Yusuf, Adamu Danmai and Hassan Bello.
He further disclosed that gallant troops of the armed forces eliminated many terrorists identified as members of the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) terrorists, including their leader Nkwachi Eze popularly known as Onowu on the military’s wanted list.
The director said Eze was responsible for coordinating deadly attacks and kidnappings across the South-East geopolitical zone, noting that notwithstanding troops rescued 173 kidnapped hostages while over 204 terrorists and members of their families surrendered.
According to him, troops in the month of April also arrested 430 suspected oil thieves and other criminal elements in the nation’s oil-rich region. Specifically, Furthermore, troops of Operation DELTA SAFE foiled oil theft worth over N1, 931,297,897.00 in the last one week with a breakdown of recovered products as 1,009,733 litres of stolen crude oil; 304,811 litres of illegally refined AGO and 3,480 litres of DPK, 19,875 litres of PMS and 1,600 litres of engine oil.
Operation DELTA SAFE which is a special joint armed forces operation tasked to stop oil theft by securing the Niger Delta region ridding it of forms of crime and criminality, successfully intercepted the stolen crude and dismantled illegal refining operations valued at over N1.93 billion in a long-drawn crackdown that lasted for a week sending renewed signals to criminals still hibernating in the region.
According to Major Gen Kangye, troops discovered and destroyed 351 crude oil cooking ovens, 418 dugout pits, 30 boats, 9 speedboats, 160 storage tanks, 721 drums and 95 illegal refining sites during the period.
Some of the items recovered during the operation were pumping machines, drilling machines, tricycles, motorcycles, mobile phones and 42 vehicles just as huge quantities of arms such as automatic weapons, RPG tubes, machine guns, locally-fabricated guns, improvised explosive devices and cache of live cartridges and assorted ammunition.
The defence media operations spokesman seized the opportunity of the briefing to emphasise Armed Forces of Nigeria’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding Nigeria’s territorial integrity and citizens.
Kangye reaffirmed that all operations are conducted within the ambit of the law, respecting human rights and international best practices.
He appealed to the public for continued support and urged citizens to share credible information with security forces to enhance operational success.
“Our troops remain focused and resilient. We urge Nigerians to go about their daily activities without fear, knowing that the Armed Forces are committed to defeating terrorism, banditry, and criminality in all its forms,” he said.
The military continues to prioritise transparency and accountability, promising to provide timely updates while maintaining necessary operational discretion.
