• 17 oil thieves nabbed, 20 dugout pits, 29 boats, others recovered
From Molly Kilete, Abuja
The Defence Media Operations (DMO), has said that soldiers fighting the insurgency in the North east have killed 43 terrorists and arrested 115 others in the last one week.
DMO Director, Major General Edward Buba, who made this known, said the soldiers recovered 87 assorted weapons, 666 assorted ammunition and rescued 39 kidnapped hostages.
He also said troops arrested 17 oil thieves in the Niger delta and destroyed and recovered 20 dugout pits, 29 boats, 31 storage tanks, one tricycle and 3 vehicles. Other are 24 cooking ovens, 3 pump machines, and 25 illegal refining sites. Troops recovered 315,700 litres of stolen crude oil, 1,200 litres of illegally refined AGO and 3,158 litres of DPK, he added.
Buba, in a statement while reinstating the determination of the armed forces to restore peace and stability in the country, said the several operations being carried out by the military have prevented these evil elements from accomplishing their strategic objectives. He said troops are hunting terrorists in their hiding places and conducting targeted offensives against them. He said combat teams have neutralised several of the terrorist leaders and their foot soldiers as well as degraded their military capabilities. “In the South-South, troops denied the oil theft of the estimated sum of (N159,652,620.00) only.
“The breakdown of weapons and other items recovered are as follows: 11 AK47 rifles, one FN rifles, two pump action guns, eight locally fabricated guns, 11 dane guns, two locally fabricated pistols, one macarrol pistol, one berretta pistol, one fabricated SMG, one locally made mortar with one empty bomb, four IEDs, 17 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 592 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, four rounds of 7.5mm ammo, one round of 9mm ammo and 36 live cartridges.
“Others are: 18 empty cases of 7.62mm special, 2 bandolier, 13 magazines, 6 vehicles, 21 mobile phones, 9 motorcycles, 15 bicycles, 2 tricycles, 5 boafeng HH radios and the sum of N1,601,370.00 amongst other items.
“Troops in the Niger Delta area destroyed 20 dugout pits, 29 boats, 31 storage tanks, one tricycle and three vehicles. Other items recovered include 24 cooking ovens, 3 pump machines, and 25 illegal refining sites. Troops recovered 315,700 litres of stolen crude oil, 1,200 litres of illegally refined AGO and 3,158 litres of DPK.”