The continuing counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations around the country continue to be crucial to the armed forces’ efforts to create peace and prevent violent extremist groups from finding a safe haven in the country.
This was contained in a statement made accessible to journalists on Thursday in Abuja by the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba.
The military’s primary mission is to execute operations in support of national security objectives. As a result, the armed forces will continue to collaborate with supported groups to fight any group threatening the country’s security and safety.
The statement reads:”During the week leading to 31 August 2023, the military neutralized 39 terrorists and arrested 157 terrorists, 16 perpetrators of oil theft. Troops also rescued 109 kidnapped hostages and denied oil theft of the sum of Seven Hundred and Sixty-Five Million Eight Hundred and Sixty-Three Thousand Naira (N765,863,000.00) only.
“Furthermore, troops recovered 55 assorted weapons and 96 assorted ammunition. The breakdown as follows: 12 AK47 rifles, one GPMG, one HK21 gun, one FN rifle loaded with 5 rounds of NATO ammo, 2 Dane guns, 3 fabricated rifles, one fabricated pistol, 3 locally made pistols, 11 AK47 magazines, 71 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 22 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 2 rounds of 9mm ammo, one cartridge, one bandolier, 7 rounds 7.62mm special empty cases, 24 motorcycles, 13 mobile phones, 10 bicycles and the sum of Eight Hundred and Eighty One Thousand Seven Hundred Naira (N881,700.00).
“Troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 71 dugout pits, 36 boats, 83 storage tanks, 5 vehicles, 4 motorcycles, 58 cooking ovens, 5 pumping machines, 3 generators, 3 speedboats and 34 illegal refining sites. Also, troops recovered 569,400 liters of stolen crude oil, 486,000 liters of illegally refined AGO and 59,500 liters of PMS.
“The military will continue to pursue aggressive military operations against violent extremist groups seeking to undermine the security of the country and conduct violence against the people. Accordingly, the armed forces remain focused on its core mission and would continually make adjustments along the way to better protect citizens, while isolating and annihilating those groups constituting a security nuisance to the country”, the stated further stated.
