Nigerian Army says it is winning the war against the insurgency that has crippled the widely-acclaimed Giant of Africa for nearly a decade.
The Defence Headquarters, at a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, said the military has eliminated 151 terrorists, nabbed 456 others and rescued 76 kidnapped victims in different operations across the country in the last week.
Troops also recovered 501 weapons, 3,577 livestock, 3,269 assorted kinds of ammunition and 674 other equipment within the period under review, said Edward Buba, the director of Defence media operations.
Read the full statement below.
PRESS RELEASE ON ONGOING MILITARY OPERATIONS BY THE ARMED FORCES OF NIGERIA AS OF 14 SEPTEMBER 2023.
Our ongoing operations reflect the commitment of the military to end terrorism and insurgency in the country. The armed forces will therefore remain focused in the conduct of its operations in support of national security interests. The priority of our operations is the protection of the citizens as well as villages, towns and cities from the senseless violence of terrorists and other violent extremist groups.
Accordingly, our activities in Operation HADIN KAI in the North East have effectively curtailed Boko Haram and other terrorist activities in the region. This is indicative by the large-scale surrender of members of the terrorist groups and the submission of a large cache of arms and ammunition.
Similarly, the operational activities of troops in Operation HADARIN DAJI and Operation WHIRL PUNCH have made a significant impact on curtailed banditry and insurgency in the North West and North Central regions of the country. Additionally, the criminalities perpetrated in the Southeast region by the Indigenous People of Biafra and Eastern Security Network are being brought to the barest minimum through the activities of troops of Operation UDO KA, in collaboration with other relevant stakeholders.
The upsurge in anti-illegal oil bunkering operations by troops of Operation DELTA SAFE in the South-South Region has yielded desirable outcomes. This is indicative of the appreciable improvement in the country’s daily crude production.
During the course of operations in the last one week, the military neutralized 151 terrorists, arrested 456 terrorists and arrested 45 perpetrators of oil theft. Troops also rescued 76 kidnapped hostages and denied oil theft of the sum of One Billion, Eleven Million Eight Hundred and Fifty One Thousand Two Hundred and Fifty Naira (N1,011,851,250) only.
Furthermore, troops recovered 216 assorted weapons and 443 assorted ammunition. The breakdown is as follows: 62 AK47 rifles, 7 pump action guns, 19 dane guns, 3 berreta pistol, 10 locally fabricated rifles, 5 locally made pistols, 399 IED detonator primers, 225 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 10 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 13 round of 9mm ammo, 20 rounds of 7.62mm x 54mm, 57 cartridges, 49 magazines, 21 vehicles, 4 motorcycles, one tricycle, 3 mobile phones and the sum of N3,194,450.00.
Troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 21 dugout pits, 56 boats, 138 storage tanks, 235 cooking ovens, 6 pumping machines, one outboard engine, 2 speedboats, 89 illegal refining sites and the sum of N13,950. Troops recovered about 1,205,950 litres of stolen crude oil, 452,910 litres of illegally refined AGO, 22,650 litres of PMS and 3,000 litres of DPK.
Interestingly, the perpetrators of the terrorist and insurgency activities are using it as a guise for their personal gain through illegal mining and other unlawful activities. For instance, the foot soldiers carry out illegal mining from mining pits, while their sponsors are in the cities and towns, moving around as normal citizens to dispose of the proceeds.
The situation underscores the importance of ongoing military operations which is critical to the nation’s effort to achieve peace and security. The military is up to the challenge and more than ever before, the outcome is not in doubt.
EDWARD BUBA
Major General
Director, Defence Media Operations.
