Follow Us on Google
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) said soldiers fighting the counter insurgency war and other security operations across the country killed 227 terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, oil thieves and other criminals terrorising the peace of the country in the last one week.
The soldiers were also said to have arrested 529 other criminals, rescued 253 kidnapped hostages, and recovered several weapons.
Director, Defence Media Operation (DMO), Major General Edward Buba, made the disclosure at a media bi-weekly briefing on military operations conducted in the country in the last one week.
Buba, said within the period under review, troops discovered and destroyed 18 dugout pits, 34 boats, five drums, four receivers, four reservoirs and 97 storage tanks. Other items recovered include 198 cooking ovens, nine vehicles, three pumping machines, two speedboats, one outboard engine and 57 illegal refining sites. He said the troops also recovered 1,442,700 litres of stolen crude oil and 154,650 litres of illegally refined AGO.
Giving an update on military and security agencies operations within the last one week, Buba said military operations in the Niger Delta region oil theft amounted to over N1.3 billion. He said: “Furthermore, troops recovered 231 assorted weapons and 6,441 assorted ammunition.”
Gen. Buba, who gave a breakdown of the items recovered, said 89 AK47 rifles, 40 locally fabricated gun, 59 dane guns, two pump action guns, eight locally fabricated pistols, 6 x 36 hand grenade, three IEDs, one RPG 7 tubes, one RPG 7 charger, four AGL rounds, one barrel of QJC gun, one barrel of PKT with receiver, one barrel of Dshk gun, 250kg bombs used by NATO and Eastern Bloc aircraft and one MRAP.
He said: “Troops are actively fighting in various theatres of operation across the country and are focussed on destroying both the military capability as well as the will to fight off the terrorists and their cohorts across the country.
Accordingly, troops are hunting senior terrorists’ leadership that are of operational importance in terms of coordination of the terrorist attacks against troops and citizens. Troops are also hunting those that are of symbolic value, including all those declared wanted.
“Troops are in hunt of one, Halilu Buzu, a terrorist leader that hails from Buzu in Republic of Niger. He settled in Subbubu Forest and lives in Shinkafi LGA of Zamfara State. His camp and illegal gold mine are located at Kawayi in Anka LGA of Zamfara State, where he has a lot of boys working for him. Halilu is also a prominent cattle rustler and illegal gold miner. Last week, his boys killed 19 villagers at Farar Kasa.
He is a high value target and, therefore, declared wanted. Meanwhile, he is one of several others that we would be declaring wanted.
“Additionally, Halilu is a major arms supplier, trusted by arms dealers from supplying arms from Libya. When troops close in on him, he moves across the border into the Republic of Niger for refuge. At this time, we are through appropriate channels calling on the Nigerian authorities to apprehend and hold him accountable for his atrocities.
“These categories of terrorists are relentlessly targeted by troops, such that we will be able to strike them out and take them off the battlefield as soon as possible. It’s clear that the fate of the terrorist perpetrating insecurity in our nation will be violent and short. Troops will stop at nothing to take them out of the battlefield.”
