….Arrested 45 perpetrators of oil theft, neutralised 151 terrorists,
The Defence Headquarters said on Thursday that the perpetrators of the terrorist and insurgency activities are using it as a guide for their personal gain through illegal mining of country mineral resources and other unlawful activities.
It also observed that “the foot soldiers carry out the illegal mining from mining pits, while their sponsors are in the cities and town, moving around as normal citizens to dispose of the proceeds.”
Director of Media Operations (DMO), Major General Edward Buba who disclosed this in Abuja at the bi-weekly press briefing on the activities of the military against insurgency and criminals in the country, said 45 perpetrators of oil theft have been arrested.
He said that the military is presently strategically deployed around the country and is working closely with other security agencies to fish out the perpetrators.
The situation, he said underscores the importance of ongoing military operations which is critical to the nation’s effort to achieve peace and security, assuring that “the military is up to the challenge and more than ever before, the outcome is not in doubt.”
Stating that the ongoing operations reflect the commitment of the military to end terrorism and insurgency in the country, General Buba said the armed forces will therefore remain focused in the conduct of its operations in support of national security interests.
“The priority of our operations is the protection of the citizens as well as villages, towns and cities from the senseless violence of terrorist and other violent extremist groups.”
“Accordingly, our activities in Operation HADIN KAI in the Northeast have effectively curtailed Boko Haram and other terrorist activities in the Region. This is indicative by the large-scale surrender of members of the terrorist groups and the submission of a large cache of arms and ammunition.”
Similarly, the operational activities of troops in Operation HADARIN DAJI and Operation WHIRL PUNCH have made a significant impact on curtailed banditry and insurgency in the North West and North Central Regions of the Country.
Additionally, the criminalities perpetrated in the Southeast region by the Indigenous People of Biafra and Eastern Security Network are being brought to the barest minimum through the activities of troops of Operation UDO KA, in collaboration with other relevant stakeholders.
He said the upsurge in anti-illegal oil bunkering operations by troops of Operation DELTA SAFE in the South-South Region is yielding desirable outcomes. This is indicative by the appreciable improvement in the country’s daily crude production.
The Director of Defence Media Operations noted that during the course of operations in the last week, the military neutralized 151 terrorists, arrested 456 terrorists and arrested 45 perpetrators of oil theft.
Troops also rescued 76 kidnapped hostages and denied oil theft of the sum of One Billion, Eleven Million Eight Hundred and Fifty One Thousand Two Hundred and Fifty Naira (N1,011,851,250) only.
Furthermore, troops recovered 216 assorted weapons and 443 assorted ammunition. The breakdown as follows: 62 AK47 rifles, 7 pump action guns, 19 Dane guns, 3 berreta pistol, 10 locally fabricated rifles, 5 locally made pistols, 399 IED detonator primers, 225 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 10 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 13 round of 9mm ammo, 20 rounds of 7.62mm x 54mm, 57 cartridges, 49 magazines, 21 vehicles, 4 motorcycles, one tricycle, 3 mobile phones and the sum of N3,194,450.00.
Major General Buba further disclosed that troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 21 dugout pits, 56 boats, 138 storage tanks, 235 cooking ovens, 6 pumping machines, one outboard engine, 2 speedboats, 89 illegal refining sites and the sum of N13,950.
Troops recovered about 1,205,950 litres of stolen crude oil, 452,910 litres of illegally refined AGO, 22,650 litres of PMS and 3,000 litres of DPK, he added.