Troops kill 103 terrorists in Nigeria’s north east, arrest 40 in three weeks

Abuja

The Nigerian military has in three weeks killed more than 103 terrorists belonging to Boko Haram and Islamic State of West Africa State Province (Iswap groups in the north east.

The Defence Media Operations said the soldiers also arrested 40 terrorists, including four commanders, and rescued 30 kidnapped victims.

DMO director, Maj Gen Musa Danmadami, said on Thursday in Abuja that 280 terrorists who surrendered together with their families comprising 29 men, 73 women and 148 children.

He gave the update of military operations conducted between December 1 and December 22 in the north east where more than 60,000 people have died since the insurgency started in 2009.

More than 2.1 million people have been displaced and more learners have dropped out of school while farming has been adversely affected and a lot of infrastructure destroyed.

Tremendous successes

The military, which had consistently reported that the terrorists have been decimated, also reported that the current operations have continued to record tremendous successes and had prevented criminals from executing major hits success except soft and vulnerable targets.

“The land and air components of the military tagged Operation Hadin Kai have continued to dominate their general area of operation as operational activities were conducted in villages, towns and mountain areas within Damboa, Bama, Gwoza and Konduga, Local Government Areas of Borno State,” Danmadami said.

Troops also recovered arms and ammunition, heat bombs and gun trucks.

He also reported that soldiers on internal security operations in the south south Nigeria discovered and destroyed 57 illegal petroleum refineries and apprehended 21 oil pipeline vandals in Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states.

Danmadami said the troops also destroyed 953 cooking ovens, 68 wooden boats, 172 storage tanks and 149 dugout pits within the period.

Crude oil

He said the troops conducting Operation Octopus Grip also recovered 445,000 litres of crude oil, 1.04 million litres of automotive gas oil, 22,000 litres of premium motor spirit and 2,000 litres of dual-purpose kerosene.

According to him, eight tankers, 63 vehicles, two speed boats, one thug boat, 14 motorcycles, one tricycle, three bicycles, 11 pumping machines and three outboard engines were seized.

“The large quantity of illegal crude oil and other petroleum products recovered and destroyed and the number of arrested oil thieves and pipeline vandals shows the unrelenting efforts by the troops of Operation Delta Safe in denying them freedom of action,” he said.

In the south east, Danmadami said the troops and other security agencies in the zone neutralised seven criminals, apprehended 25 others and rescued eight kidnapped civilians.