Troops of Joint Task Force, Operation DELTA SAFE in the conduct of Operation OCTOPUS GRIP have discovered and destroyed over eighty illegal refining sites, 254 storage tanks, 173 cooking ovens, 118 dugout pits, and 36 wooden boats in the South-South of the country.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Musa Danmadami disclosed this during the Bi-weekly briefing in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital saying that the briefing covered the period from 17 November to 1st December 2022.
General Danmadami said, ’’Equally, troops recovered 1,060,500 litres of crude oil, 391,000 litres of Automotive Gas Oil, 11 cars, 6 tankers, 8 pumping machines, 3 motorcycles, 2 outboard engines, 1 tricycle, and 5 AK47 rifles loaded with 10m rounds of 7.62mm special, while 81 criminal elements were also apprehended during the various operations”.
Similarly, on 21 November 2022, troops raided suspected gunmen enclave at Ebem Community in Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State.
He said following the operation troops arrested 13 suspects and recovered 2 pump action guns, 2 double barrel rifles, 3 Dane guns, 1 locally made pistol, 3 cartridges and 6 machetes.
Cumulatively within the weeks in focus oil thieves were denied a total of Four Hundred and Seventy-One Million, Two Hundred and Five Thousand Four Hundred and Twenty Five Naira (N471,205,425.00) in the South-South Region.
In another development, the Commander Operation HADIN KAI has held a solemn meeting with various Heads of Humanitarian agencies in the North East over the unfortunate death of one of their staff by one of their troop.
He further assured the officials that investigation and remedial action are ongoing.
The team leader thanked the theatre commander for reaching out to them over the incident, he stated that humanitarian organisations in the North East have over the years enjoyed robust support, cooperation and synergy with the military and is hopeful that the sad incident will not diminish the cooperation and support they are enjoying, but rather, create an avenue for more understanding and improved synergy.
He expressed his heartfelt sympathy and also conveyed the condolences of the Chief of Defence State, the Service Chiefs and the entire Armed Forces of Nigeria.
Equally, the theatre commander received members of the Borno Agriculture Village on a courtesy call at the Headquarters Joint Task Force Operations HADIN KAI.
The group during the visit expressed appreciation to the troops for providing adequate security that enable them to go to the farm without fear of being attacked which resulted in the bumper harvest recorded.
Responding, the theatre commander appreciated them and assured them that troops will continue to discharge their constitutional role professionally, safeguard lives and property and continue to deny terrorists and other criminal elements freedom of action until total peace is restored in the Northeast region.
Similarly, the air component of Operation HADIN KAI sustained the aggressive posture toward the fight against terrorists and other criminal elements in support of the land components.
The air components carried out a series of air strikes on terrorist locations in the Tumbuns near Lake Chad, which recorded some remarkable results.
Notably, on 26 November 2022, air recce intelligence revealed that terrorists were moving into Mallam Fatori from Tumbum Fulani with several gun trucks and numerous support weapons as well as other technologies.
Accordingly, an air interdiction operation was carried out which disrupted their activities following the strikes, reports revealed that several of the terrorists were eliminated on the shores of Lake Chad while 3 gun trucks hidden under the trees were equally destroyed.
He noted that similar strikes were conducted on 27 November 2022 at an identified terrorist training camp at Tumbun Hamma in the Lake Chad Region.
He said that ’’intelligence revealed that about 24 Islamic State of West Africa Province terrorists were undergoing weapon handling and Improvised Explosive Device (IED) training at the location for 6 consecutive days”.
“Consequently, the location was bombarded. The effect of the strike from the feedback revealed that several terrorists were neutralized with their weapons and IED destroyed”’, he added.
Meanwhile, the Military High Command has commended the troops on their efforts in the various theatres of operation across the nation while urging the entire populace to continue to provide prompt and credible information on the activities of terrorists and other criminal elements, in their respective areas to the military and other security agencies, in their quest to restore peace and security to the country.
The briefing had the Director of Defence Information, Major General Jemmy Akpor and all the Spokesmen of the Armed Forces and their representatives.
Olusola Akintonde
