Troops kill 74 terrorists, arrest 130 suspects in counter-insurgency operations — DHQ

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) on Thursday announced that troops of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN), in collaboration with other security agencies, killed 74 terrorists and arrested 130 suspects in counterinsurgency operations across the country between February 5 and March 13, 2025.

This was disclosed in a statement released in Abuja by the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Marcus Kangye, during the weekly briefing on ongoing military operations.

He added that troops also apprehended 31 individuals involved in oil theft and rescued 61 kidnapped victims.

“During the week under review, the land component of the Armed Forces conducted joint operations with the ONSA team, security agencies, and hybrid forces,” he said.

“These operations included fighting and confidence-building patrols, raids, ambushes, clearance, as well as search and rescue missions.

“In the course of these operations, several terrorists were neutralized, their collaborators arrested, and kidnapped victims rescued. Additionally, surrendered terrorists, gunrunners, and oil theft collaborators were taken into custody.

“The air component also carried out several close air support missions, armed reconnaissance patrols, and air interdiction operations.”

In the South-South region, troops foiled an oil theft operation worth approximately ₦1,008,750,901.

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“The breakdown includes 675,266 litres of stolen crude oil, 312,593 litres of illegally refined AGO, and 4,500 litres of DPK. Additionally, troops destroyed 51 crude oil cooking ovens, 49 dugout pits, 43 boats, 28 storage tanks, 131 drums, and 56 illegal refining sites.

“Recovered items include four pumping machines, four tricycles, three motorcycles, seven mobile phones, and eight vehicles, among others.”

In a related operation, troops recovered 1,289 assorted weapons and ammunition, including 32 AK-47 rifles, 15 locally fabricated guns, nine Dane guns, three pump-action guns, two locally made pistols, and 10 other assorted arms.

“They also recovered 1,133 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition and 69 live cartridges.