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From Molly Kilete, Abuja
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ), yesterday said soldiers fighting the counter insurgency and other security operation across the country, killed 92 terrorists and arrested
111 others in the last one week.
Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, said that the soldiers rescued 75 kidnapped hostages; recovered large cache of weapons, arrested 18 oil thieves and successfully foiled oil theft operations valued at approximately N521.8 million in the Niger delta region.
Kangye, at a media briefing on the update on military operations conducted by the military and other security agencies in the last one week, said troops recovered a total of 117 assorted weapons and 2,939 rounds of ammunition.
He listed the recovered weapons to include: 58 AK47 rifles, 21 locally fabricated guns, 26 dane guns, seven pump action guns, four PKT guns, two GPMGs, one QJC W85 gun, one HK 21 gun, one M60 MG, 11 RPG bombs, two RPG tubes and one fabricated 60mm mortar.
“They also recovered 2,278 rounds of assorted 7.62mm ammunition, 26 live cartridges, 64 rounds of 9mm ammo, 18 magazines, as well as other eight assorted arms,”.
On the fight against crude theft in the Niger Delta region of the country, Gen. Kangye said troops of Operation Delta Safe recovered 452,396 litres of stolen crude oil, 224,175 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil and 1,920 litres of PMS.
He further stated that the troops discovered and destroyed 87 crude oil cooking ovens, 28 dugout pits, 23 boats, 33 storage tanks, 61 drums and 47 illegal refining sites.
“Other items recovered included :two pumping machines, three tricycles, five motorcycles, two mobile phones and six vehicles among others.
In the North East, Kangye said the troops of Operation Hadin Kai recorded a total surrender of 101 terrorists comprising 11 adult males, 39 adult females and 51 children who surrendered to troops within the theatre of operation during the week .
Meanwhile, the DHQ, has maintained that security reports from military operations in the ongoing counter insurgency war are accurate.
It said it is only the Armed Forces of Nigeria, that can give accurate situation and day-to-day information about counter-terrorism efforts in the country and not a foreign body.
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It has therefore called on Nigerians to believe more in their military than outsiders.
Kangye, said,in the latest index, Nigeria was ranked sixth globally, with a score of 7.658, moving up from eighth place in 2023 and 2024
However, Kangye, while faulting the lates figure, using illustration of a family said the information released by the Head of the family which is the Defence Headquarters is usually more correct than that of an outsider.
Gen Kangye, said, “Something is happening in my house. I’m the head of the house. I have children, I have wife and kuma shi (someone else) is reporting what is happening in my house to me. Which one would be more correct ? The one that I will tell you as the head of the house , or the one that kuma shi is reporting from outside? The one I think that will give you the correct information is that of the head of the house.
“So you, as a member of the media, that attends this meeting every week, you should be able to stand and correct what they are giving Nigerians”.
But Kangye who said he wasn’t going against the report, however urged the media to give the correct version of what is happening in the country.
He said, “I’m not countering what they put out there, but as observers, I think you should be the better person that will give the correct version of what is happening in Nigeria. “
On the sit-at-home order in South East,
Kangye said residents out of fear still stay indoors on Mondays.
He said the military was working to free the region from IPOB/ESN fighters.
He said, “Who gave the order? IPOB /ESN criminals and because of what is happening in the South East Operation Udo Ka was set up just like Hadin Kai in North East.
“And I want to tell you that for the past three leadership of the commanders we have in the Southeast, they have been doing very well. And if they give them sit at home order, they will tell them more about your normal business but the locals in some areas, for fear of being attacked, fear of being killed, they will stay at home. The commanders under that operation are doing their best.
They are doing so well to ensure that Southeast has a free from IPOB/ESN.
