Troops have neutralized 185 kidnappers and arrested 212 others, the Nigerian Defence Headquarters, DHQ, have announced.
The DHQ also said Nigerian troops arrested 44 perpetrators of oil theft in the Niger Delta region, and rescued 71 kidnapped hostages.
These figures were reeled out by Major General Edward Buba, Director of Defence Media Operations over the weekend.
Buba affirmed that the armed forces is not oblivious of the security challenges across the country in recent times, particularly with the spike in kidnappings for ransom. “Whether or not advertised crowd funding is contributing to the kidnappings across the country remains an ongoing debate,” he said.
“The military recognizes the urgency for an immediate turn around of the situation and is therefore actively working for peace and security across the country. It is worthy of mention to state that, achieving enduring peace in the country , requires that there is a change in the conditions that make the terrorist, insurgents and their cohorts willing to fight and carry dastardly acts on fellow citizens”.
“In the SS, troops denied the oil theft of the estimated sum of One Billion Sixty Five Million Eight Hundred and Eighty Five Thousand and Fifty Naira (N1,065,885,050.00) only.
“Furthermore, troops recovered 224 assorted weapons and 2,337 assorted ammunition. The breakdown as follows: 113 AK47 rifles, one G3 rifle, one PKT gun, 44 locally fabricated guns, 4 pump action guns, 2 pistols, 2 locally fabricated pistols, one berretta pistol, 25 dane guns, one double barrel gun, one single barrel gun, one locally fabricated revolver gun and 7 IEDs primed.
“Troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 12 dugout pits, 61 boats, 56 storage tanks and 13 vehicles. Other items recovered incl 78 cooking ovens, 4 pump machines and 51 illegal refining sites. Troops recovered 815,980 litres of stolen crude oil, 163,675 litres of illegally refined AGO and 1,750 litres of DPK.
“The military understands the true extent of the threat that we are facing and winning the war. Countering insurgency is not a sprint but rather a marathon. Accordingly, troops are taking the fight to the terrorist and making strides each passing day. Much has been done, and much more is still being done to achieve peace and security across the country,” part of the DHQ statement said.
