Nigerian troops are seeing a notable increase in the number of terrorists surrendering in the North Central operational theatres.
Director of Defence for Media Operations Major General Edward Buba stated that these surrenders are a direct result of the intensified actions taken against the terrorist groups. He emphasised that a non-kinetic approach, involving collaboration with various stakeholders, has been instrumental in facilitating the surrender process.
Several prominent terrorist leaders, including Yellow Jambros, Alhaji Mallam, Ardo Idi (Alhaji Lawal), Lawal Kwalba, Salkado, Yellow Ibrahim, Gana’e, and Babangida, have decided to surrender, with more showing interest in following suit.
Despite this progress, troops will maintain their operational momentum to both eliminate remaining threats and encourage further surrenders.
During the past week, troops neutralized 135 terrorists and apprehended 185 individuals. Additionally, they captured 61 individuals involved in oil theft and rescued 129 kidnapped victims.
In the South operational theatre, they prevented oil theft with an estimated value of Eight Hundred Eighty-Nine Million Two Hundred Thirty-Three Thousand Twenty Naira (N889, 233,020.00).
Troops also recovered a total of 113 different types of weapons and 2,415 rounds of ammunition. This includes:
– 72 AK-47 rifles
– 11 fabricated rifles
– 15 Dane guns
– 3 locally made pistols
– 8 pump-action guns
– 4 hand grenades
– 1 RPG bomb with its tube
Additionally, they seized a variety of ammunition, radios, vehicles, motorcycles, and mobile phones, alongside cash amounting to N732,000.00.
In the Niger Delta region, troops destroyed 93 crude oil cooking ovens, 12 dugouts, 37 boats, 127 drums, 41 storage tanks, and 82 illegal refining sites. Other items recovered included an outboard engine, 4 speedboats, and 14 vehicles, along with significant quantities of stolen and illegally refined oil.
Looking ahead, troops are committed to finding innovative solutions to effectively address the diverse security challenges facing the nation.
Dominica Nwabufo
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