By Joy Odor
The Director, Defence Media Operations, (DMO) Major General Edward Buba has informed that the Nigeria military has recovered 108 weapons and 564 ammunition.
He gave the information while given report on the ongoing Military Operational Activities by the Armed Forces of Nigeria as at 17 August 2023 in Abuja on Thursday.
According to him, the breakdown as follows are:- 22 AK47 rifles, one PKT gun, 6 pump action guns, 4 dane guns, one fabricated rifle, one galil ace rifle, one RGP bomb, one RPG tube, 44 hand grenades, 322 rounds of 7.62mm special, 63 rounds of 12.7mm ammo, 12 rounds of 5.6mm ammo, 33 AK47 magazines, one empty case of 7.62mm special and 3 empty magazines.
Other items include; 14 motorcycles, 16 mobile phones, 3 motorolla radio, one boafeng radio, 2 motorcycle tyres, 5 touch lights, 2 solar panels, 104 livestock and the sum of Two Million Eight Hundred and Ninety-Six Thousand Four Hundred Naira (N2,896,400.00).
Maj Gen Buba maintained that during the week leading to 17 August 2023, the military neutralized 28 terrorists, arrested 92 terrorists, 6 gunrunners, 3 kidnappers, 6 collaborators, 7 perpetrators of oil theft.
The troops also rescued 82 kidnapped hostages and denied oil theft the sum of Eight Hundred and Seventy-Six Million Four Hundred and Fifty-One Thousand Eight Hundred Naira (N876,451,800.00) only.
The DMO affirmed that the Nigeria toops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 36 dugout pits, 62 wooden boats, 73 storage tanks, one vehicle and 75 cooking ovens.
Others include; 4 pumping machine, 5 outboard engine and 33 illegal refining sites.
Furthermore, troops recovered 1,166,900 litres of stolen crude oil, 1,491,250 litres of illegally refined AGO, 54,750 litres of DPK and 800 litres of PMS.
Major General Buba opined that no doubt, the armed forces possess the power and the will to hunt down those that wish to bring harm upon our citizens, noting that the ongoing operations is a message to those that question the resolve of the military.
According to him, it is also a message to members of these violent extremist groups that think they can hide.
The DMO mentioned that the extremist groups can be rest assured that others shall raise their sons and daughters, as no one will strike at the military without injurious consequences.
He narrated that the military is strategically deployed across the country to conduct operations aimed at curtailing the activities of violent extremist groups fomenting insecurity in the country.
To this end, the DMO, troops will continue to respond with overwhelming military force against any group that threatens the safety of citizens and own forces.
The men and women of the armed forces will continued to put themselves in harms ways, time and time again, to protect our great nation.
