Metro

Insecurity: Military operations against insurgents yielding desired results — DHQ

The Military High Command, on Friday, declared that the ongoing operations of the troops of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) and other security Agencies against insurgency activities in the country “are yielding desired results ranging from denying safe havens to these groups, to the destruction of their command and control facilities as well as training facilities” nationwide.

This was contained in a statement made available to Defence Correspondents in Abuja by Director Defence Media Operations Major General Edward Buba on the operations of the Troops in the various theatres of operations across the six geo-political zones of the country in the last one week

He posted that the actions and activities of the armed forces in the ongoing counter-insurgency and counter-terrorist operations were integral to the plan of focusing military pressure on these terrorists and extremists to cause them to submission.

According to the statement, “The operations are yielding desired results ranging from denying safe havens to these groups to the destruction of their command and control facilities as well as training facilities”.

It explained that the operations of the last one week, resulted in killing of 37 terrorists while 95 of them were arrested.

It added that Troops also arrested 19 perpetrators of oil theft and rescued 53 kidnapped hostages.

According to it, “In the South-South geo-political zone, troops denied oil theft of the estimated sum of Three Billion Three Hundred and Ninety-Nine Million Twenty-Nine Thousand Eight Hundred and Fifty Naira (N3,399,029,850.00) only.

“Furthermore, troops recovered 100 assorted weapons and 1,207 assorted ammunition.”

The breakdown is as follows: 45 AK47 rifles, 11 locally fabricated AK47 rifles, 6 pump action guns, 12 Dane guns, 2 AK47 rifles loaded with 34 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 2 locally made guns, 2 locally fabricated pistols, 2 locally made revolvers.

“Others are; 925 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 28 rounds of 9mm ammo, 157 live cartridges, 23 magazines, 27 vehicles, 25 motorcycles, 38 mobile phones, 2 HH radios, 2 boafeng radios, 4 bicycles and one tricycle amongst others.

“Troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 42 dugout pits, 82 boats, 143 storage tanks, 234 cooking ovens, 56 illegal refining sites, 61 hoses, 17 drums, one pumping machine, 2 outboard engines and one vessel.

“Troops recovered 6,009,500 litres of stolen crude oil, 425,715 litres of illegally refined AGO, 38,100 litres of DPK and 4,500 litres of PMS”.

It further declared that; “The military is in a good fight and is winning in this war. Our operations have killed or captured several terrorist and insurgent leaders as well as their facilitators and key associates.

“Accordingly, the insurgents and terrorist are in perpetual mourning as they constantly bury their dead and would continue to do so. Our communities across the country have risen to the occasion in exposing these elements and it is making a tremendous impact on operations as they no longer have a hiding place. Consequently, know something, say something , so we can do something,” the statement added.

READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE