Troops kill 94 terrorists, arrest 43 oil thieves

No fewer than 94 terrorists were killed by troops in various operations conducted across the northern part of the country between January 17 and 25, Defense Headquarters revealed Thursday.

It stated that the operations resulted in the arrest of 171 terrorists in the North, 43 suspected oil thieves, and the recovery of N485 million in crude oil in the South-South.

Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, Director of Defense Media Operations, said this in Abuja on Thursday while addressing journalists on military activities during the time under review.

He said, “During the week under review, troops neutralized 94 and arrested 171 of them. Troops also arrested 43 perpetrators of oil theft and rescued 29 kidnapped hostages. In the South-South, troops denied oil thieves crude oil valued at N485,983,150.”

He stated that troops recovered 168 assorted weapons and 2,757 assorted rounds of ammunition during the various operations.

“The breakdown is as follows: one GPMG, 85 AK-47 rifles, one Vektor R4 rifle, one G3 rifle, 10 pump-action guns, 12 locally-fabricated guns, six locally-made pistols, 21 Dane guns, one double-barrel gun, one fabricated revolver rifle, 2 x 36 hand grenades, and one fabricated Dane gun,” a DHQ spokesman said.

During the South-South operations, Buba stated that the operatives in the Niger Delta uncovered and destroyed 16 dugout pits, 51 boats, 49 storage tanks, and three vehicles.

“Other items recovered included 38 cooking ovens, three pumping machines, and 31 illegal refining sites. Troops recovered 363,875 liters of stolen crude oil, 198,315 liters of illegally refined AGO, and 5,200 liters of PMS,” he added.