The military claims to have discovered a terrorist recruitment campaign on social media, specifically by the ISWAP terrorist organization.
It promised to keep up the offensives in order to eradicate all terrorist threats.
In a statement released on Saturday, Maj Gen Edward Buba, Director, Defence Media Operations, said that troops’ operations had significantly reduced their ranks and files.
Buba claimed that “the air force’s coordinated airstrikes and ground forces’ ground operations had driven terrorists out of their enclaves, killing a number of them.”
He said that on November 6, the air component of Operation Hadin Kai carried out targeted airstrikes against militants in Borno State’s Kwallaram and Arainna Ciki islands, neutralizing more than 70 extremist members.
Buba added that 641 people were arrested nationwide and 169 people were neutralized by the soldiers.
He claims that in addition to apprehending 40 oil thieves, troops also freed 181 hostages who had been kidnapped. He also notes that in the South-South, troops prevented oil theft totaling an estimated N1,402,001,900.00 (one billion, four hundred and two million, nine hundred and one thousand, nine hundred Naira).
According to him, the forces found 2,970 different types of ammo and 192 different types of weaponry.
38 fake rifles, 26 Dane guns, one FN rifle, three fake revolver pistols, eleven locally made handguns, five pump action guns, one dummy AK-47 rifle, one unexploded RPG bomb, and 106 AK-47 rifles make up the breakdown.
Other goods include 146 live cartridges, two Baofeng radios, seven automobiles, 29 motorcycles, 40 cell phones, 1,410 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, 1,074 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 67 rounds of 7.62 x 54mm, 130 rounds of 108mm, 101 rounds of 9mm ammo, and a total of N729,000.00.
As stated by the Director, “Troops in the Niger Delta area found and destroyed 83 illegal refining sites, 20 crude oil cooking ovens, 2 dugout pits, 42 boats, 7 reservoirs, 5 drums, and 50 storage tanks.”
Three pumping machines, three outboard engines, a generator set, a speedboat, eight motorcycles, three cell phones, and three cars are among the other goods found.
537,325 liters of unlawfully refined AGO, 1,285 liters of stolen crude oil, and 914,445 liters of stolen crude oil were found by troops.