BLOODY OPERATION: 814 Terrorists Killed as Nigerian Troops Nabbed 1,326 Criminals in 3 Months
The Defence Headquarters has said the military troops killed 814 terrorists and arrested 1,326 criminals across the various theatres of operations in the last 3 months.
It said the troops also denied oil thieves N4 billion worth of crude oil in South-South.
The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, disclosed this during quarterly review of Joint Task Force operational activities and the ongoing military operations by the Armed Forces of Nigeria on Thursday in Abuja.
Given the breakdown of troops operations, the Defence spokesperson said troops of Operation Hadin Kai in the North West killed 240 terrorists, arrested 276 collaborators, and rescued 249 kidnap victims.
He said, “Troops recovered a total number of 501 weapons, 3,577 livestock, 3,269 assorted kinds of ammunition and 674 other equipment. The breakdown of these arms and ammunition is as follows; 117 AK47 rifle, one AK49 rifle, 5 revolver, 28 fabricated rifles, 11 fabricated pistols, 57 dane guns, 23 pistols, 24 pump action guns, 3 FN rifles, 3 GPMGs, one double barrel gun, one barreta pistol, one G3 rifle, 2 HK21 rifles one IED, 123 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 2,008 rounds of 7.62mm special, 30 rounds of 7.62mm x 39mm, 512 rounds of 7.62mm x 54mm, 190 rounds of 5.5mm, 39 rounds of 9mm, 29 rounds of PKM, and 19 cartridges.
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“Troops equally recovered: one RPG tube, 3 hand grenades, one locally made hand grenade, one locally made bomb, 2 rifle butts, one AK47 barrel, one GMPG barrel, 2 MG links, 98 AK47 magazines, 2 G3 magazines, 2 FN magazines, 2 PKT magazines, 2 LMG magazines, 2 tear gas launchers, one bullet proof vest, 49 vehicles, 213 motorcycles, 48 bicycles, 69 mobile phones, 5 boafeng radios, 4 woodland camouflages, 2 boots, 74 knives, 71 handsets, 11 laptops, 13 steering rods and pumps, 45 machetes and 25 jack knives.
Buba said troops killed 80 indigenous People of Biafra/Eastern Security Network (IPOB/ESN) fighters in southeast Nigeria, arrested 42 kidnappers while a total of 4, 560 terrorists and members of their families surrendered to troops at different locations in North East Nigeria.
He said, “In the course of operations, troops recovered 80 cattle rustlers, 325 militias, 27 rails vandals, 73 gunrunners, 191 suspected oil thieves and rescued 721 kidnapped hostages. Additionally, 4,560 terrorist and their families surrendered to troops.
On troops operations in the North Central zone, Buba said troops killed 94 terrorists, arrested 477 others, rescued 76 kidnap victims and recovered 76 arms and ammunition and 1,722 livestock.
He maintained that the terrorists and their cohorts cannot win in the face of ongoing military pressure against them.
“Accordingly, the terrorists and their cohorts are encouraged to drop their arms and rejoin society to provide a better life for themselves and their children. They risk annihilation if they fail to do so.
“Nigerians need to know that, we are in this together. The military is with you. The military will work tirelessly to ensure your safety and security. Importantly, the trust and cooperation from supportive groups being witnessed today is unprecedented. The inputs from these groups is making a difference in our operations. Citizens are encouraged to Know Something, Say Something and we will do something about it”, he said.
