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Following the killings of 5 personnel at the checkpoint in Abia, the Nigerian military troops conducted several intelligence based operations and several arrest were made and those found to be culpable still in detention.
Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba disclosed this on Thursday, during a bi-weekly media briefing on the activities of troops across the country.
General Buba added that intelligence based operations conducted led to the discovery and destruction of several IPOB/ESN terrorists camps across the region such as at Igboro Forest in Arochukwu LGA among others.
He noted that those arrested are assisting troops to locate other camps and individuals. We have sustained the momentum against the terrorist and their cohorts which is crucial to military operations and it is the reason we take the fight to the enemy and allow them no respite.
"Our operations are based on focusing on our war efforts, mobilization and air strikes on terrorist. The combination of these efforts has resulted in several achievements on the battlefield" he said
Major General Buba also revealed that during the week under review, troops neutralised 197 and arrested 310 persons. Troops also arrested 22 perpetrators of oil theft and rescued 251 kidnapped hostages.
He added that in the South South, troops denied the oil theft of the estimated sum of Seven Hundred and Sixty Five Million Six Hundred and Fifty Four Thousand One Hundred Naira (N765,654,100.00) only.
"Furthermore, troops recovered 180 assorted weapons and 5,123 assorted ammunition. The breakdown as follows: 2 PKT guns, 73 AK47 rifles and 17 locally fabricated guns among others.
"Others are: 3,207 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 1,022 rounds of 7.62mm NATO and 243 rounds of 7.62 x 54mm ammo among others.
He also revealed that troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 29 dugout pits, 22 boats and 26 storage tanks. Other items recovered include 66 cooking ovens, 8 vehicles and 43 illegal refining sites among others.
Furthermore, troops recovered 728,360 litres of stolen crude oil, 143,450 litres of illegally refined AGO, 1,100 litres of DPK and 18,750 litres of PMS.
General Buba stressed that the armed forces understands that these terrorist exist for the sake of war, and therefore for the sake of peace we must eliminate and neutralize them mercilessly.
"It is for this reason that, our war effort is designed and crafted to defeat and destroy the terrorist as well as dismantle their terror infrastructure which include their military, administrative and logistics capabilities." he noted