The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has announced that, in a series of internal security clearance operations and a crackdown on criminal elements across Nigeria, troops have killed 82 terrorists, arrested 198 criminals, and rescued 93 kidnap victims in the last one week.
Announcing the staggering success in a statement on Friday, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj-Gen Markus Kangye highlighted the military’s ruthless offensive against insurgents and criminal networks.
Gen. Kangye further disclosed that troops seized 86 high-calibre weapons and a staggering 2,040 rounds of ammunition from terror groups operating across the country.
The military chief disclosed that 41 terrorists—including 10 men, 12 women, and 19 children—surrendered to troops of Operation Hadin Kai in the North East, overwhelmed by the sustained military pressure.
Relatedly, in the Niger Delta, troops launched a major operation against oil thieves, seizing illicit crude oil and refined products valued at over N500 million.
The military’s crackdown uncovered and destroyed 38 illegal refining sites, 27 dugout pits, and 60 storage tanks, crippling the operations of oil criminals in the region.
The report also gave the breakdown of the massive haul to include: 366,530 litres of stolen crude oil, 117,320 litres of illegally refined diesel and 600 litres of kerosene.
Also, Security forces arrested 22 oil thieves and confiscated 152 assorted arms and ammunition, including five magazines, among which were: 46 AK-47 rifles, 18 locally fabricated guns, 19 Dane guns
Three pump-action shotguns.
Additionally, troops seized a lethal stockpile of 1,165 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, 128 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 600 rounds of 12.7mm ammunition, and 51 cartridges.
The Media Director noted that the Defence Headquarters assured Nigerians that the military remains unyielding in its mission to crush terrorism, dismantle criminal networks, and restore security across the nation.
