The Defence Headquarters announced on Thursday that the military has made big steps in fighting against insurgency and oil theft.
In the last three months, troops in the Niger Delta intercepted stolen crude oil worth N10bn. Meanwhile, in the North, they killed at least 2,245 terrorists.
Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, the Director of Defence Media Operations, shared these details during the bi-weekly briefing in Abuja. Buba stated, “During the second quarter of this year, troops neutralised 2,245 terrorists, arrested 3,682 suspected terrorists and other criminal elements as well as rescued 1,993 kidnapped hostages and denied the oil theft of an estimated sum of over N10bn only – 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 items, were recovered.”
Buba also mentioned that troops recovered 2,783 weapons and 64,547 rounds of ammunition. He detailed, “The 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 ammo.”
He described the counter-insurgency war as a long-term effort, saying it would take time to completely eliminate terrorists from the country. “Indeed, the military has greatly degraded the terrorists, even though they are still present in the theatres of operation. It would take time and effort to completely destroy these terrorists, particularly as counter-insurgency is akin to a marathon, not a sprint.”
For over a decade, terrorist activities have plagued the northern part of the country, causing deaths, kidnappings, and the displacement of millions of people. Buba noted that terrorists have prioritized building their military strength above all else. “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 terrorists 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.”
The military continues to adjust its operations to minimize civilian casualties and follows international laws of armed conflict. “Overall, we will do everything within the bounds of the law to make our nation safe for citizens. The military will keep up with the fighting spirit and maintain the stamina in the frontlines. Our pride is to risk our lives, to save the lives of our citizens. This is what we do to secure our country.”