Soldiers kill 169 terrorists, arrest 641 suspects

The Defence Headquarters on Saturday announced that troops deployed for counter-terrorism operations eliminated a total of 169 terrorists and arrested no fewer than 641 suspects across various theatres of operations.

The DHQ added that 70 of the terrorists were killed in Kwallaram, Borno State, as a result of airstrikes.

A statement by the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj Gen Buba Edward, also mentioned that several terrorists had been dislodged from their hideouts.

He said, “Troops have intensified their offensive against terrorists and insurgents across the country. Synchronized airstrikes by the air force, along with ground operations by land forces, have dislodged terrorists from their enclaves, killing several of them.

“For instance, on 6th November 2024, the air component of Operation HADIN KAI conducted targeted airstrikes on terrorists located at Kwallaram and Arianna Ciki islands in Borno State. The strikes resulted in the neutralisation of over 70 extremists at Kwallaram, with several more killed at Arianna Ciki.

“Meanwhile, during the week under review, troops killed 169 and arrested 641 individuals.”

Buba further stated that during operations against oil theft, 40 suspected oil thieves were arrested, and stolen crude oil worth N1bn was recovered.

He added, “Troops also arrested 40 perpetrators of oil theft and rescued 181 kidnapped hostages. In the South-South, troops prevented the theft of oil estimated at N1,402,001,900.00.

“Troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 20 crude oil cooking ovens, 2 dugout pits, 42 boats, 7 reservoirs, 5 drums, 50 storage tanks, and 83 illegal refining sites.

“Other items recovered include 3 pumping machines, 3 outboard engines, one generator set, one speedboat, 8 motorcycles, 3 mobile phones, and 3 vehicles, among others. Troops also recovered 914,445 litres of stolen crude oil, 537,325 litres of illegally refined AGO, and 1,285 litres of PMS.”

Furthermore, Buba said troops recovered 192 assorted weapons and 2,970 rounds of ammunition. “The breakdown is as follows: 106 AK47 rifles, 38 fabricated rifles, 26 Dane guns, one FN rifle, 3 fabricated revolver pistols, 11 locally made pistols, 5 pump-action guns, some dummy AK47 rifles, and one unexploded RPG bomb.

“Other recoveries include 1,410 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 1,074 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 67 rounds of 7.62 x 54mm, 130 rounds of 108mm, 101 rounds of 9mm ammo, 146 live cartridges, 2 Baofeng radios, 7 vehicles, 29 motorcycles, 40 mobile phones, and the sum of N729,000.00, among other items,” he added.