Troops Neutralise 220, arrests 395 persons

By Emmanuel Daudu

The armed forces has intensified intelligence collection effort targeted at hunting terrorist and striking them where they maybe hiding and hibernating. The aim is to kill this terrorist and the infrastructure that supports them. Additionally, operational adjustments have been made to prioritize protection for farmers to ensure a successful rainy season farming.

During the week under review, troops neutralised 220 and arrested 395 persons. Troops also arrested 55 perpetrators of oil theft and rescued 202 kidnapped hostages. In the SS, troops denied the oil theft of the estimated sum of One Billion Eight Hundred and Sixty Million One Hundred and Fifty One Thousand Seven Hundred Naira (N1,860,151,700.00) only.

According to a press release signed by Major General Edward Buba, Director Defence Media Operations, troops recovered 432 assorted weapons and 9,004 assorted ammunition. The breakdown as follows: 3 PKT guns, one G3 rifle, 83 AK47 rifles, 18 locally fabricated gun, 16 dane guns, 2 pump action guns, 2 double barrel guns, 2 single barrel guns, 8 locally fabricated pistols, 2 revolver rifles, one hand grenades, 14 RPG bombs, one RPG launcher, 2 tear gas launchers, 234 smoke grenades and one bandolier.

Others are: 5,893 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 2,064 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 401 rounds of 9mm ammo, 200 rounds of 7.62 x 54mm, 154 rounds of 7.62 x 51mm, 195 live cartridges, 17 magazines, 3 baofeng radios, 8 vehicles, 32 motorcycles, 59 mobile phones and the sum of N813,550.00 only amongst other items.

Troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 51 dugout pits, 38 boats and 51 storage tanks. Other items recovered include 215 cooking ovens, 2 speedboats, 44 drums, 3 tug boats, 3 barges, 4 wheelbarrows, one outboard engine, 15 vehicles, 3 motorcycles, 6 mobile phones and 105 illegal refining sites. Troops recovered 1,099,860 litres of stolen crude oil, 1,101,700 litres of illegally refined AGO, 27350 litres of DPK and 150 litres of PMS.

Troops will continue to employed significant firepower to neutralize terrorists and disrupt their activities across the country. Winning the war against the terrorist is non negotiable.