The military high command says no fewer than 2245 terrorists were killed between April and June 2024, representing the second quarter of the the year.
It also disclosed that at least 3,682 suspected terrorists and other criminal elements were arrested while 1,993 kidnapped hostages were rescued from the terrorists’ den in various theatres of operations.
Director, Defence Media Operations, Edward Buba, who revealed this to journalists during a press briefing at Defence Headquarters, Abuja also said troops recovered 2,783 weapons and 64,547 ammunition.
Buba, a Major-General, also explained that the troops of the Nigerian military attached to “Operation Delta Safe”, also denied the oil thieves of siphoning an estimated sum over N10bn crude.
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He said, “During the second quarter of this year, troops neutralized 2,245 terrorists, arrested 3,682 suspected terrorists and other criminal elements as well as rescued 1,993 kidnapped hostages.
“Furthermore, troops recovered 2,783 weapons, 64,547 ammunition and denied the oil theft of an estimated sum over N10bn (N10,533,131,470.00) only.
“Breakdown for the period includes and is not limited to the following: 1,169 AK47 rifles, 36,273 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 14,764 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 713 assorted arms and 9,850 assorted ammunition.
“Others are 9,225,149 litres of stolen crude oil, 2,874,916 litres of illegally refined AGO, 29,900 litres of DPK and 31,380 litres of PMS amongst other item.”
According to him, the military has greatly degraded the terrorists even though they are still present in the theatres of operation.
The senior military officer added that it would take time and effort to completely destroy these terrorists, liking counter-insurgency to a marathon.
He said, “The resolve of the armed forces is very clear and it is to destroy the terrorists and dismantle their military capabilities in order for citizens to be safe.
“Accordingly, troops are actively fighting in different forms and retain operational flexibility which gives us the ability to respond to different events and to project forces according to strategic needs.
“It is safe to say that the terrorists have prioritised their military capability over everything else. This is because as our forces advance and clear areas in which these terrorist hibernate, we continue to recover weapons, explosives and IEDs which are indicative of the priorities of the terrorists.
“Nevertheless, we continue to wipe out the terrorists through synchronised ground and air operations.”
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