By Gbemiga Olamikan.
The Nigerian Armed Forces has deployed troops into strategically point to ensure that the off-cycle Governorship election scheduled for 21 Sep 2024 in Edo State is violence free, fair and credible. The role of the troops is to support Nigeria police by ensuring voters safety and security of the state. This was revealed by Director Defence Media Operations Major General Edward Buba. He said that troops presence is to thwart the activities of those elements bent on causing crisis during the elections.
However General Buba revealed that during the week under review, troops neutralised 159 terrorists and arrested 174 persons. He said that troops also arrested 45 perpetrators of oil theft and rescued 188 kidnapped hostages just as, armed forces is resolute in ending terrorism and insecurity in the country, through ongoing operations. He also disclosed that troops denied the oil theft of the estimated sum of Seven Hundred and Thirty Six Million Nine Hundred and Seventy One Thousand Four Hundred and Fifty Naira (N736,971,450.00) only in the South South of Nigeria. Also recovered 151 assorted weapons and 12,401 assorted ammunition.
Gen. Buba gives breakdown as follows: 3 PKT guns, one SLR, 92 AK47 rifles, 25 fabricated rifles, 15 dane guns, 4 pump action guns, 4 locally made pistols, one pistol, 2 RPG tubes, one RPG bomb, 66 AK47 magazines, one FN magazine, 2 locally fabricated hand grenades.
Others are: 10,346 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 1,094 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 92 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm ammo, 479 rounds of PKT ammo, 182 rounds of MG ammo, 43 rounds of 9.5mm ammo, 12 rounds of 9mm ammo, 35 live cartridges, 35 empty cases of 7.62mm ammo, 2 baofeng radios, 15 vehicles, 39 motorcycles, 28 mobile phones and the sum of N5,386,200.00 only amongst other items.
Furthermore, troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 9 dugout pits, 35 boats, 4 speedboats, 32 drums and 57 storage tanks. Other items recovered include 20 cooking ovens, one pumping machine, 14 vehicles, one motorcycles, one tricycle, 10 mobile phones and 71 illegal refining sites. Troops also recovered 788,400 litres of stolen crude oil, 28,995 litres of illegally refined AGO, 300 litres of DPK and 3,000 litres of PMS.
Gen Buba assured that operations against the terrorist and violent extremist remains aimed at providing security and stability for the nation and citizens. He said that troops will continue to be relentless in pursuit of ending all forms of insecurity across the country. .
