Military Cracks Down on Protest-Related Violence, Records Major Successes Against Terrorism In July

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ), on Friday, said that it has implemented measures to curtail the excesses of the miscreants, hiding under the umbrella of protests to loot private businesses and destroy public infrastructure, as well as unleash mayhem on law-abiding citizens.

The DHQ also noted that its troops deployed to counter terrorism, banditry and insurgency across the federation killed no fewer than 572 terrorists and arrested 790 others in the month of July.

In his regular update on military operations across Nigeria, the Director Defence Media Operation, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, also revealed that troops of Operation Delta Safe in South South joint operations retrieved petroleum products worth over N3bn in the month of July.

This, he said, was in addition to the recovery of 3,650,080 litres of stolen crude oil, 625,518 litres of illegally refined AGO, 450 litres of DPK and 1,230 litres of PMS amongst other items.

Gen. Buba said: “The armed forces seeks to bring stability wherever it may be needed in the face of ongoing protest across the country. We have tightened security in several areas, bearing in mind the protest was hijacked and turned violent in some parts of the country. Sadly at about 2000hrs on 31 Jul 24 in the NE, lives were lost on the eve of the protest. The incident occurred when a female suicide bomber infiltrated and  detonated her suicide vest in Kawuri Village of Konduga LGA in Borno State. The incident resulted in 17 civilian deaths with several others wounded and receiving treatment in hospital.”

He noted that in spite of the ugly incident, military operations are continuing to deepen its successes particularly in the NE, NW, NC and SE zones of the nation.

“In the SS, troops restrategised operations to boost optimal output in crude oil production by curbing crude oil theft. Overall, in July 2024, troops neutralised 572 terrorists, arrested 790 suspected terrorists and other criminal elements as well as rescued 479 kidnapped hostages. Additionally, troops recovered 440 weapons, 10,589 ammunition and  denied the oil theft of an estimated sum over N3bn (N3,652,382,080.00) only,” Buba said.

The image maker of military operations said that breakdown of recoveries in the month of July include 232 AK47 rifles, 93 locally fabricated guns, 82 dane guns, 32 pump action guns, 5,041 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 2,768 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 659 cartridges, 63 assorted arms and 2,259 assorted ammunition.

Assuring that the military remained committed and strong to its mission of defending the country and protecting citizens, Gen. Buba urged citizens not to compromise on security, otherwise the security of everyone will be compromised.

Ikechukwu Aleke

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