From Molly Kilete, Abuja
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ), yesterday, said soldiers on counter insurgency operations and other internal security operations across the country killed 268 terrorists and bandits and arrested 176 other criminals, comprising terrorists, bandits and their informants, weapons and drug suppliers, among other criminal groups.
Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Brigadier General Bernard Onyeuko, made the disclosure at a media briefing on military operations conducted between November 11-25.
He said that within the period under review, a total of 996 Boko Haram terrorists and their families, comprising 203 males, 302 females and 491 children, surrendered to soldiers at different locations in Borno State, while 12 kidnapped persons were rescued and reunited with their families.
Onyeuko said that the military, working in conjunction with the various security agencies, have increased its operations and destroyed several terrorists’ strongholds, including their arsenals, and recovered several arms, ammunition and weapons used in carrying out illegal bunkering and other criminal activities in the nation’s waterways.
He said the military would continue to remain steadfast in the fight against all forms of criminalities across the country, and appealed to the public to continue to support the military with credible and timely information that would facilitate its engagements.
Giving an update of military operations conducted within the period, Gen. Onyeuko, said: “Although a few setbacks were experienced in the course of the operations within the last two weeks, however, troops remained undaunted and determined in their quest to attain sustainable peace in the country through kinetic and non-kinetic operations, which yielded attendant results in the past two weeks.”
He further disclosed that its troops, codenamed Operation Delta Safe, immobilised 41 illegal refining sites, 33 ovens, 24 cooking pots/boilers, eight cooling systems, 32 reservoirs, 43 large dugout pits and 93 storage tanks in two weeks.
Onyeuko said a total of 795,500 litres of illegally refined AGO; 60,000 litres of DPK and 6.39 million litres of stolen crude were recovered in different operations across the South South zone.
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He said 26 criminal elements associated with pipeline vandalism, piracy, illegal oil bunkering and armed robbery were arrested within the period.
“Also, troops recovered a total of 27 assorted arms and 586 rounds of assorted ammunition in the course of the operations.
“These feats were recorded at villages, towns and creeks in Egbema, Port Harcourt, Emuoha, Andoni, Onne, Obiakpo, Isiokpo, Akuku-Toru and Okrika Local Government Areas of Rivers State.
“In Delta State, some feats were recorded at different locations in Warri South, Warri South West, Ovwie, Warri North and Isoko North LGAs.
“Other locations include; Ohaji Local Government Area of Imo, Bakassi in Cross River and Ukwa West Local Government Area of Abia,” he said.