The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) on Thursday said that troops deployed to different theatres of operation killed no fewer than 165 terrorists, arrested 238 others and rescued 188 kidnapped hostages in one week.
The DHQ also disclosed that troops of JTF South-South Operation Delta Safe discovered and deactivated 65 illegal refining sites and apprehended 35 perpetrators of oil theft, within the period under review.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, the Director Defence Media Operation Maj. Gen. Edward Buba also revealed that the troops of the JTF retrieved petroleum products worth six hundred and eighty-eight million, one hundred and twenty-five thousand, one hundred and fifty Naira (N688,125,150.00).
This, he said was in addition to recovering of 789,200 litres of stolen crude oil and 64,950 litres of illegally refined AGO.
According to him, “Troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed two dugout pits, 58 boats and 39 storage tanks. Other items recovered include 13 cooking ovens, 35 drums, one motorcycle, one tricycle, four speed boat, 13 vehicles and 65 illegal refining sites”.
Noting that military operations have destroyed a substantial part of the combat capacity of these terror groups and their leadership, Buba revealed that one notorious terrorist commander in Jigawa State known as Mai Hijabi encountered the troops and was killed in the battlefield during the week.
He further disclosed that terrorists in the northeast theatre of operations are surrendering to troops following the sustained onslaught against them.
He said: “Our role in the ongoing war is clear and we are winning the war. The military is not oblivious of some security challenges faced by citizens in certain quarters and are reassessing operation in those areas to better secure and protect citizens.
“Troops recognise the urgency to ensure peace and security for all citizens across the country and are working on new strategies to better protect the nation and citizens”.
The armed forces also cautioned persons or groups from making threats or inflammatory comments on untoward activities against troops presence or deployment as a result of ongoing operations, adding that the outcome of such an act is better imagined than experienced.
He concluded that the war effort of the military is designed and crafted to defeat and destroy these terrorists as well as dismantle their terror networks across the country.
Linus Aleke
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