KEY POINTS
- One week of Nigerian troops neutralized 135 terrorists, captured 185 suspects and rescued 129 hostages.
- Military pressure has led to some high profile terrorist leaders to surrender.
- Military forces also destroyed 93 illegal oil refining sites, and seized large quantities of stolen crude oil.
According to a major Defence Headquarters update last weekend, Nigerian military troops neutralised 135 terrorists, arrested 185 others, and freed 129 kidnapped hostages in a week of coordinated fighting across the country.
In a weekly report in which he released achievements, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, said the following.
Troops Intensify Operations
The intensified military actions against the terrorist groups in the North Central have forced the force to start surrendering, Maj.-Gen. Buba said .
Beyond supporting those surrendering through non kinetic efforts in collaboration with key stakeholders, some high profile terrorists such as Yellow Jambros, Alhaji Mallam and Ardo Idi have also surrendered.
They have been the product of relentless military onslaughts and we anticipate more to understand as troops have continued with the operational momentum with the aim of completely eradication or capture of the rest of the terrorists,” Buba said.
Seizures
In addition, the military reported substantial recoveries of weapons and ammunition; 113 weapons, including AK47 rifles, hand grenades, and RPG bombs and 2,415 rounds of ammunition. Further, 61 people engaged in oil theft were arrested.
Military efforts against illegal oil refining operations in the Niger Delta led to the discovery and destruction of 93 crude oil cooking ovens, 82 illegal refining sites and 127 drums. It also recovered 909,800 litres of stolen crude oil and large quantities of illegally refined products.
