By Olayemi Esan
The Nigerian troops have rescued about 20 kidnapped Nigeria Police Force personnel, who were abducted when terrorists attacked the Police Division at Buni Yadi, killed 158 terrorist elements and arrested 100 others in 2 weeks.
Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Brig. Gen. Benard Onyeuko made this known at the press briefing on the operational activities the troops of Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies conducting operations against all forms of criminalities across the country.
Onyeuko revealed that in Operation Hadin Kai troops’ operational activities within the period recorded significant results as they repelled terrorists’ attacks in fierce gun battles in Borno and Adamawa States, killing no fewer than 26 of the attackers.
The spokesman regretted that men of the Nigerian military paid the supreme price in the process.
"Regrettably, our gallant officers and soldiers paid the supreme price. They are our heroes in the battle against terrorism", he said.
In Operation Hadarin Daji, troops sustained its clearance operations against bandits as some them were neutralized with arms and ammunitions recovered. In the process, 14 bandits were neutralized while 4 of them were arrested alongside their collaborators in Zamfara and Sokoto States.
He added that 54 extra magazines of assorted arms and 20 motorcycles, 17 assorted arms, including AK-47 rifles, PKT machine guns and GPMGs as well as 625 rounds of different calibres of ammunition and 43 rustled livestock were recovered while 8 kidnapped civilians were also rescued in the course of the operations.
Onyeuko noted that troops of Operation Safe Haven arrested 43 bandits/collaborators and drug peddlers, rescued 20 kidnapped civilians as well as recovery of 131 livestock, 12 assorted arms and 36 different calibers of ammunition among other item in Kaduna and Plateau States.
In Operatiom Whirl Stroke, troops operational efforts resulted in neutralizing 5 criminals, 19 arrested, while 15 arms and 62 caliber of ammunition were recovered, and 3 kidnapped civilians rescued within the period under review in Abuja, Katsina, Taraba, and Benue States.
As part of its non-kinetic operational strategies, he said troops held peace and security meeting with critical stakeholders to discuss means of tackling insecurity to find lasting solutions to the security challenges.
One of these meetings was held at the Force Headquarters of Operation Whirl Stroke in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
Onyeuko added that the general security situation in the Operation Thunder Strike/Whirl Punch theatres were relatively calm within the period in focus, nevertheless, troops arrested a notorious armed bandit at Paka community in Igabi LGA of Kaduna State, who revealed that the Head of vigilantes in Rigasa aids armed banditry and is involved in some attacks and kidnap incidents in the environment.
In Operation Delta Safe, troops sustained anti-illegal oil production operations and other non-kinetic operations to prevent activities of vandals and other economic saboteurs in the South – South Zone.
In the last 2 weeks, troops discovered and immobilized a total of 39 illegal refining sites, 73 ovens, 25 cooking pots/boilers, 18 cooling systems, 27 reservoirs, 39 large dugout pits and 89 storage tanks.
"1,014,000 ltrs of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil; 50,500 litres of Dual Purpose Kerosene and One Million, Eight Hundred And Eight Thousand, Five Hundred litres (1,808,500 ltrs) of stolen crude oil were recovered in the course of the operations. 18 criminals associated with pipeline vandalism, piracy, illegal oil bunkering and armed robbery were arrested within the period", he added.
The Air Component of Operation Thunder Strike, within the period also carried out air strikes against armed bandits at their enclaves at Rijana village along Abuja – Kaduna Highway killing about 45 bandits, destroying their structures housing logistics items and weapons.
Other bandits who escaped during the air strikes were traced to a location 4km southeast of the Kaduna State NYSC Orientation Camp, where 30 of them were killed in air strikes, which also destroyed their structures and weapons there
Cumulatively, a total of 6 criminal elements were arrested and 9 assorted armed, 2 extra AK-47 rifles magazines, 13 rounds of ammunition and 6 motorcycles were recovered in the course of the operations within the period.
Troops’ kinetic and non-kinetic operations have continued to drive the terrorists out of their camps into surrendering. A total of 192 terrorists and their families comprising 51 adult males, 67 adult females and 74 children surrounded to own troops within the period.
The surrendered terrorists were properly profiled and handed over to appropriate authorities for necessary actions.
The military High Command commended the sacrifices of its troops in the various theatres of operation and salutes their courage and resilience towards achieving sustainable peace in the country.
