Troops killed 814 terrorists, arrest 1326 suspects in three months

Over six million litres of stolen crude recovered
Troops on operations across the country killed 814 suspected terrorists and arrested 1,326 others in the past three months, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) said yesterday.

It said the troops recovered 6,652,250 litres of stolen crude worth over N4 billion, 3,577 livestock, 501 weapons, 3,600 ammunition and rescued 721 kidnap victims within the period under review.

The Director of Defence Media Operations (DDMO), Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, said these at a briefing in Abuja.

According to him, troops killed 80 suspected Indigenous Peoples of Biafra/ Eastern Security Network (IPOB/ESN) fighters in the South East, arrested 42 kidnappers and received 4,560 terrorists and members of their families who surrendered to troops at different locations in the North East.

The Defence spokesperson said troops of Operation Hadin Kai in the North West killed 240 terrorists, arrested 276 collaborators, and rescued 249 kidnap victims. He said the troops also recovered 169 different caliber weapons and 1,196 ammunition.

On troops operations in the North Central zone, Buba said 94 terrorists were killed and 477 arrested, adding that 76 kidnap victims were rescued and 76 firearms, ammunition and 1,722 livestock recovered.

Troops of Operations Hadarin Daji and Whirl Punch in the North West, he said, killed 105 terrorists and arrested 104 collaborators.

On troops operations against oil thieves and illegal bunkerers in Southsouth, the Defence Spokesperson said 69 criminals were neutralised and 191 others arrested.

Buba noted that the military would continue to apply strong pressure on criminal groups undermining the national security of the country.

“It is clear that the terrorists and their cohorts cannot win in the face of ongoing military pressure against them,” he said.