The Nigerian Defence Headquarters has stated that said troops deployed to combat terrorism and insecurity across the country have in the last two weeks recorded tremendous success.
Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba made this known on Thursday at the New Conference Room of the Defence Headquarters during a press briefing with Journalists.
According to him, no fewer than 80 terrorists were neutralised by the troops while another 304 were arrested and handled over to the appropriate authorities for the next line of action.
General Buba also stated that 152 crude oil thieves were also arrested in the Niger Delta while about 44 kidnapped hostages were rescued by the troops across the country.
He said, “The operations of the week in focus, resulted in 80 neutralized terrorists, while 304 of them were arrested. Troops also arrested 152 perpetrators of oil theft and rescued 44 kidnapped hostages.
“In the SS, troops denied the oil theft of the estimated sum of Three Hundred and Forty Six Million One Hundred and Seventy-Five Thousand Five Hundred Naira (N347,173,500.00) only.
“Furthermore, troops recovered 112 assorted weapons and 898 assorted ammunition. The breakdown are as follows: 2 GPMG, one HK21 gun, 14 AK47 rifles, 8 pump action guns, 4 locally fabricated rifles, 8 locally made pistols, 5 dane guns, 239 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 431 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 4 rounds of 9mm ammo, 52 live cartridges.
“Others are: 5 magazines loaded with 128 rounds of 7.62mm special, 6 vehicles, 28 mobile phones, 12 motorcycles, one laptop and sum of N782,790.00 amongst other items.
“Troops in the Niger Delta area destroyed 8 dugout pits, 11 boats, 46 storage tanks, 7 vehicles, 84 cooking ovens, 356 drums, one outboard engine, one pumping machine and 20 illegal refining sites. Troops recovered 81,000 litres of stolen crude oil, 239,500 litres of illegally refined AGO, 5,000 litres of DPK and 10,500 litres of PMS.”
Meanwhile, the military has also clarified the number of casualties recorded in the mishap that occurred in Kaduna State. He lamented that the unfortunate drone strike resulted in the death of 81 residents while 70 others sustained varying degrees of injuries and currently receiving medical attention.
While mourning with those affected, General Buba noted that the incident is being investigated for the purpose of improving military operations and eliminate civilian casualties.
“There is significant media attention owing to the mishap that occurred in Kaduna as a result of drone strike. The military stands with all those griefing as a result of the drone strike and express our heartfelt condolences as a force over the losses. We pray for eternal peace for their souls. The incident is being investigated and the outcome of the investigation would go a long way in identifying areas of improvement to forestry future occurrences.
“The armed forces is very concerned about the issues of civilian casualties in operations, a situation which it views as tragic and unwanted.The military is determined to deal with the situation properly and make improvement from our experiences.
“The military will continue to take great measures to prevent civilian casualties. Protecting civilians remains a vital part of our operations in order to promote greater security for all Nigerians,” General Buba said.
