***As 4,560 surrender
By Tobias Lengnan Dapam
The Nigeria military said its operations across the 6 geopolitical zones from June to August 2023 revealed that 814 terrorists were killed and 1,326 criminals were arrested.
Major General Edward Buba, Director Defence Media Operations, stated this on Thursday while giving update on the quarterly Military operations in the country,
He added that 42 kidnappers, 231 collaborators, 33 armed robbers, 80 cattle rustlers, 325 militias, 27 rails vandals, 73 gunrunners, 191 suspected oil thieves and were arrested while 721 kidnapped hostages were rescued.
He added that, 4,560 terrorist and their families surrendered to troops.
“ Troops recovered a total number of 501 weapons, 3,577 livestock, 3,269 assorted kinds of ammunition and 674 other equipment. The breakdown of these arms and ammunition is as follows; 117 AK47 rifle, one AK49 rifle, 5 revolver, 28 fabricated rifles, 11 fabricated pistols, 57 dane guns, 23 pistols, 24 pump action guns, 3 FN rifles, 3 GPMGs, one double barrel gun, one barreta pistol, one G3 rifle, 2 HK21 rifles one IED, 123 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 2,008 rounds of 7.62mm special, 30 rounds of 7.62mm x 39mm, 512 rounds of 7.62mm x 54mm, 190 rounds of 5.5mm, 39 rounds of 9mm, 29 rounds of PKM, and 19 cartridges.
“Troops equally recovered: one RPG tube, 3 hand grenades, one locally made hand grenade, one locally made bomb, 2 rifle butts, one AK47 barrel, one GMPG barrel, 2 MG links, 98 AK47 magazines, 2 G3 magazines, 2 FN magazines, 2 PKT magazines, 2 LMG magazines, 2 tear gas launchers, one bullet proof vest, 49 vehicles, 213 motorcycles, 48 bicycles, 69 mobile phones, 5 boafeng radios, 4 woodland camouflages, 2 boots, 74 knives, 71 handsets, 11 laptops, 13 steering rods and pumps, 45 machetes and 25 jack knives.
“Furthermore, troops recovered 213 motorcycle, 69 mobile phones, one bicycle, 10 machete and a pair of camouflage. Troops operations in South South geopolitical zone resulted in the arrest of the following; 6,652,250 litres of stolen crude oil, 3,558,325 litres of illegally refined AGO, 288,650 litres of DPK and 65,600 PMS. All amounting to an estimated sum of N4 billion denied to the oil thieves.
Speaking further, Buba said the counter insurgency and counter terrorism operations of the armed forces across the country in the last 3 months demonstrated the will of the armed forces to defeat terrorist and other violent extremist groups including those who support and finance them.
“During the period under review, offensive operations and air strikes were conducted to hit these groups and the terrorist where it hurts them most.
“It is clear from our operations that the terrorist and their cohorts have sustained a significant number of casualties. It is certain that they will continue to sustain even more casualties, as we move forward. The illusion by these groups to embark on terrorism or insurgency is laughable.
“Increasingly, they have become more of a criminal organization which is the reason they fight. They fight so that, they can keep profiting from criminal activities such as illegal mining, kidnapping, cattle rustling, illegal levies on fishing and farming communities and all other unholy forms of criminal inclinations.
“Indeed, if these groups don’t come to the table in peace. We will ceaselessly punish them with overwhelming military force. For those supporting them, they have picked the wrong side and will face similar fate as these criminals and murders.
“The armed forces will continue to apply strong military pressure on groups undermining the national security of the country. It is clear that, the terrorist and their cohorts cannot win in the face of ongoing military pressure against them. Accordingly, the terrorists and their cohorts are encouraged to drop their arms and rejoin society to provide a better life for themselves and their children. They risk annihilation if they fail to do so.
“Nigerians need to know that, we are in this together. The military is with you. The military will work tirelessly to ensure your safety and security. Importantly, the trust and cooperation from supportive groups being witnessed today is unprecedented. The inputs from these groups is making a difference in our operations. Citizens are encouraged to Know Something, Say Something and we will do something about it.”