The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) Thursday said troops deployed to different theatres of operations across the country neutralised 140 terrorists, arrested 135 persons and rescued 76 kidnapped hostages.
The military high command also said troops in the South East at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Orsu conducted a sting operation that culminated in the arrest of terrorist leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The DHQ said the arrested IPOB terrorist leader, identified as Pius Iguh, is a founding father of Eastern Security Network (ESN) group in Orsu, Imo state.
Director Defence Media Operations Maj-Gen Edward Buba who disclosed this while briefing journalists in Abuja, said troops at FOB Amaruku conducted a raid that resulted in arrest of another IPOB terrorist commander identified as Emmanuel Onwugu.
General Buba said he was arrested in Mbano LGA of Abia state.
…Oil theft
Speaking on military operations against oil theft in the Niger Delta, General Buba said troops arrested 18 perpetrators of oil theft.
He said troops denied the alleged oil thieves crude estimated to worth the sum of One Billion Seven Hundred and Fifty One Million Eight Hundred and Eighty Six Thousand Five Hundred and Fifty Naira (N1,751,886,550.00) only.
The Defence spokesperson disclosed that following presidential directive to end oil theft in the South South region, production had risen from 1.1m barrel per day to 1.7m barrel per day.
“Since when that (presidential) directive was given, and the command was established, there has been significant increase in the nation’s daily oil production. At the time that the instructions were given, at that time, daily oil production was around 1.1m, 1.2m (barrels per day).
“But today, we are talking about 1.7m (and) getting close to 1.8m, and I’m assuring you that there is increasing rate in progress as we get towards the end of the year,” Buba said.
…Assorted weapons recovered
Speaking further, he said troops recovered 241 assorted weapons and 3, 254 assorted ammunition.
Giving the breakdown, Buba said: “141 AK47 rifles, one PKT gun, 2 FN rifles, 17 fabricated rifles, 26 dane guns, 13 pump action guns, 4 locally made pistols, one barreta pistol, 2 bayonets and 42 AK47 magazines.
“Others are 2,016 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 970 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 33 rounds 7.62 x 54mm ammo, 76 rounds of 9mm ammo, 113 live cartridges, 2 baofeng radios, 3 vehicles, 31 motorcycles, 18 mobile phones and the sum of N79,052,150.00 and 19$ only amongst other items.”
…Badaru wants Turji alive
In a related development, Minister of Defence Muhammad Badaru Abubakar has charged troops under Operation Fansan Yamma to redouble their efforts and capture the notorious terrorist kingpin, Muhammadu Bello Turji alive.
The minister spoke Wednesday in Gusau, Zamfara state capital, while addressing troops at the 1 Brigade Command.
He said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directed him to visit the troops and encouraged them to mitigate the activities of the terrorists in the Northwest states of Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi and Katsina.
“All what we need to hear is, Turji has been overpowered and arrested alive by the troops,” he said.
Badaru reiterated the federal government’s support to the troops in their effort at ending terrorism in the region.
“I am in Zamfara state as directed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to see how the Operation Fansan Yamma is going on and to identify all what the military requires to fight against banditry in the state,” Badaru said.
Blueprint reports that the minister traveled by road through Funtua -Gusau highway usually blocked by the terrorists almost on a daily basis in the last two months.
He called on Zamfara communities to give all the necessary support to the military under Operation Fansan Yamma by providing positive information about criminal hideouts for prompt response.
“One of the major challenges we are having is how some of these dreaded terrorists hide themselves amongst communities, hence the need for the communities to distance themselves from them and expose their hideouts to the military in order to enable the military to mitigate them for peace to thrive in the Northwest,” he pleaded.