By Gbemiga Olamikan.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj Gen Edward Buba has revealed that troops of Nigerian Armed Forces have neutralised 109 terrorists and arrested 81 persons, with 6 perpetrators of oil theft arrested while 43 persons kidnapped were rescued in the first week of the year. Gen Buba said the result of a week indicates the troops’ determination to work against terrorists and their cohorts operating across the country.
Gen Buba also stated that troops denied the oil theft of the estimated sum of Six Hundred and Eighteen Million Seven Hundred and Fifty-Six Thousand Four Hundred and Seventy Naira (N618,756,470.00) only in the South South of the Country.
He further disclosed that troops recovered 21 assorted weapons and 124 assorted ammunition with the breakdown as follows: 9 AK47 rifles, 5 fabricated rifles, 4 dane guns, 3 locally made pistols, 7 magazines, 97 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 22 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 5 live cartridges, 3 baofeng radios, 4 vehicles, 6 motorcycles and 4 mobile phones amongst other items.
This was contained in his statement issued today in Abuja. He said that troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 10 crude oil cooking ovens, 10 dugout pits, 12 boats, 4 storage tanks and 10 illegal refining sites. Other items recovered include 3 pumping machines, 12 speedboats, 20 drums, 2 motorcycles, one mobile phone and 4 vehicles among others. Also recovered 631,709 litres of stolen crude oil, 3,140 litres of illegally refined AGO and 2,250 litres of PMS.
He Assured that troops are sustaining the winning ways of ongoing operational engagements. Assured that citizens will continue to witness the incremental effectiveness and efficiency of the armed forces.
