THE Nigerian military says it has killed 181 terrorists, arrested 253 suspects, and rescued 161 kidnapped victims in the last week.
The military said the operation, which is part of its ongoing effort to combat national threats, has achieved significant successes over the past week.
This was disclosed by the director of Defence Media Operations, Edward Buba, a major general, on Friday, December 13, in Abuja.
Buba said one of those arrested is a notorious gun runner identified as Mohammed Musa (aka Mamman), who was arrested in Plateau State.
According to him, in the South-South, troops foiled oil theft of the estimated sum of Seven Hundred and Twenty-Eight Million Two Hundred and Ninety-Seven Thousand Six Hundred and Fifty Naira (N728,297,650.00) only.
He added that troops recovered 228 assorted weapons and 6,749 assorted ammunition.
Buba gave the breakdown of weapons and ammunition as follows: 4 GPMGs, 3 G3 rifles, 85 AK-47 rifles, 38 fabricated rifles, 36 Dane guns, 12 FN rifles, 3 fabricated revolver pistols, 24 locally made pistols, 16 pump-action guns, 2 single-barrel guns, 1 Beretta pistol, 4 hand grenades, 3 IEDs, and 63 magazines.
“Others are: 2,891 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 1,354 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 586 rounds of 7.62 x 51mm ammo, 821 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm ammo, 12 rounds of 5.56mm ammo, 409 rounds of 7.62mm PKT ammo, 32 rounds of 7.62 x 54mm PKT ammo, 21 rounds of 9mm ammo, 618 live cartridges, 1,146 assorted empty cases of ammo, 3 bandoliers, 4 Baofeng radios, 15 vehicles, 33 motorcycles, 42 mobile phones, and the sum of N577,800.00, only amongst other items.”
According to the military, troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 25 crude oil cooking ovens, 10 dugout pits, 38 boats, 44 storage tanks, and 47 illegal refining sites.
Other items recovered include 6 speedboats, 3 receivers, 48 drums, 3 motorcycles, one mobile phone, and 12 vehicles, among others.
In addition, Buba said troops recovered 765,680 litres of stolen crude oil and 86,725 litres of illegally refined AGO.
He added that troops will continue to act with tremendous force to ensure the terrorists and their cohorts are destroyed and will also continue to create an atmosphere in which citizens live in peace and are safe from acts of terror.
Buba noted that all military efforts are aimed at degrading terrorists wherever they are hibernating or hiding.
Recently, the military says it uncovered a desperate recruitment drive by terrorists, particularly the ISWAP terrorist group, on social media.
Buba disclosed this in a statement in November 2024, affirming that troop operations had severely depleted their ranks and files.
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