Troops Neutralize 187 Criminals, Arrest 183 Across Nigeria
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has announced on Thursday that troops deployed to various theatres of operations across Nigeria neutralized 187 criminal elements and arrested 183 others, adding that 26 perpetrators of oil theft were apprehended, and 109 kidnapped hostages were rescued.
Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, briefed journalists on these successes on Thursday, stating that the military maintains pressure through ongoing operations in five active theatres across the country.
These theatres include Joint Task Force Operation Hadin Kai (North East), Operation Hadarin Daji (North West), Operation Whirl Stroke (North Central), Operation Udoka (South East), and Operation Delta Safe (South South). The North East and North West regions experience the highest levels of intensity.
In the South South, troops thwarted oil thefts, preventing the loss of crude oil valued at approximately N1.1 billion.
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Troops also recovered a significant cache of weapons and ammunition, including 128 assorted weapons and 3,300 rounds of ammunition. The breakdown of the recovered weapons includes one PKT gun, 80 AK-47 rifles, 15 locally fabricated guns, and various other firearms.
Buba detailed additional items recovered: 1,941 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, 729 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition, 377 rounds of 7.62 x 54mm ammunition, 191 rounds of 5.55mm ammunition, 199 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm ammunition, 16 rounds of 9mm ammunition, 26 live cartridges, 26 empty cartridge cases, 26 AK-47 magazines, six Baofeng radios, ten vehicles, four motorcycles, four walkie-talkies, mobile phones, and N102,010 in cash.
In the Niger Delta area, troops discovered and destroyed 18 dugout pits, 30 boats, 49 storage tanks, 66 cooking ovens, four drums, five speedboats, 15 vehicles, two tricycles, one generator, 11 mobile phones, and 57 illegal refining sites.
They recovered 1,125,440 liters of stolen crude oil, 213,539 liters of illegally refined AGO, and 1,230 liters of PMS.
The Senior military officer also highlighted the military’s efforts to thwart criminal plots targeting critical infrastructure across the country.
He noted that security agencies responsible for securing these infrastructures have been placed on high alert. “We are aware of some plans to target critical infrastructure in the country. Measures have been put in place to forestall such plans. Security agencies responsible for securing critical infrastructure and facilities have also been placed on alert. Consequently, some of these plans have been frustrated,” he said.
