Nigerian army kills 253 terrorists and arrests 172 suspects

The Defense Headquarters (DHQ) said that armed forces troops in the last week killed no less than 253 terrorists, detained 172 suspects and rescued 206 kidnapped hostages.

The Director of Defense Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, made this known in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

Buba said troops also arrested 15 oil theft perpetrators and denied oil thieves an estimated sum of N1.07 billion in the Niger Delta during the week.

He said troops recovered 251 assorted weapons and 4,113 assorted ammunition comprising one GPMG, 118 AK47 rifles, 54 locally made weapons, 47 Danish weapons, six pump-action weapons, four IEDs, one 60mm mortar tube, two AK stocks, MRAP and a bandolier.

Others, according to him, are 2,047 rounds of 7.62 mm special ammunition, 942 rounds of 7.62 mm NATO, 98 rounds of 9 mm ammunition, 342 rounds of 7.62 x 54 mm, 334 rounds of 7.62 x 39 mm, 252 7.62 x 51 mm cartridges and 110 7.62 x 39 mm Ball cartridges.

“The recovered items also include 299 live cartridges, 32 chargers, 2 baofeng radios, 2 KYD radios, 8 vehicles, 41 motorcycles, 27 bicycles, 41 mobile phones and the sum of N74.7 million among other items.

”Troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 22 graves, 37 vessels, 70 drums, four receivers, four warehouses and 29 storage tanks.

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”Other items include 215 kitchen ovens, 13 vehicles, four wheelbarrows, a tricycle, a motorcycle, five mobile phones, a speedboat, two KYD radios, two outboard motors and 75 illegal refining sites.

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”Troops also recovered 1.04 million liters of stolen crude oil and 205,550 liters of illegally refined AGO.”

Buba said the operations across the country were a testament to the army’s tireless efforts to prevent anarchy, unrest and destabilization of national security.

He urged citizens to show the utmost respect to the armed forces, rather than degrading the institution, saying it would be counterproductive and amount to self-sabotage to do otherwise.

According to him, the army remains firm in its role as an element of national power used to protect and project the national interest of the nation.

(YAYA)