From Molly Kilete, Abuja
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) said troops fighting terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, oil theft, among other security operations across the country, killed 8,034 terrorists and destroyed 2,413 illegal refineries in the last year.
The troops also arrested 11,623 terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers, and rescued 6,376 kidnapped hostages.
Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, who made this known, also said that troops recovered 8,216 weapons, 211,459 ammunitions, and thwarted oil theft amounting to over N57 billion.
Gen. Buba, at a media briefing on the update of military operations conducted across the country, said the military has continued to bombard terrorists and criminal hideouts, denying them the opportunity to carry out attacks at will.
He added that to ensure the security and safety of all Nigerians and deny terrorists the ability to operate, troops have adopted a high level of alert and an increased state of readiness to protect the country from further terrorist aggression and insecurity.
Giving an update on military operations conducted in the last year, Gen. Buba said: “Troops’ aggression across the various theatres of operation since the beginning of the year culminated in 8,034 neutralised terrorists, 11,623 arrests, and 6,376 rescued hostages. Furthermore, troops recovered 8,216 weapons, 211,459 ammunitions, and denied oil theft estimated at over N57 billion (N57,052,218,551.00).”
“The breakdown of the recoveries is as follows: 4,053 AK47 rifles, 1,123 locally fabricated guns, 731 dane guns, and 240 pump-action guns. Others are: 120,247 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 41,515 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 5,373 cartridges, 1,940 assorted arms, and 25,664 assorted ammunitions.”
Additionally, he said troops recovered: 53,101,430 litres of stolen crude oil, 9,179,181 litres of illegally refined AGO, and 90,595 litres of DPK. Others include 156,095 litres of PMS, among other items.
“Overall, the military is keeping up the pressure through ongoing operations in the various theatres across the country. The military, through these operations, is increasingly creating conditions in which terrorists cannot carry out acts of terror or harm citizens.”
“On the whole, the armed forces are constantly examining ways to improve the effectiveness of their operations and guarantee the safety of citizens. Relatedly, operations are on an upward trajectory towards winning the war.”