The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has announced that troops eliminated 1,166 terrorists and apprehended 1,096 suspects across the country in just 29 days. Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, the Director of Defence Media Operations, disclosed this during a briefing on Thursday in Abuja. Additionally, troops rescued 721 kidnapped hostages during the operations.
Buba detailed that the military recovered 391 weapons and 15,234 rounds of ammunition, including 208 AK47 rifles, 54 locally fabricated guns, 53 Dane guns, 36 pump-action guns, and various rounds of special and NATO ammunition.
The military’s operations led to the elimination of several terrorist leaders and commanders across the country. In the North East, prominent figures like Munir Arika and Ameer Modu were neutralized, while in the North West, key leaders such as Kachalla Dan Ali Garin Fadama were taken down.
Buba highlighted that ongoing military operations have significantly weakened terror groups, reducing their capacity to launch major offensives. The military’s strategy is to undermine the abilities of these groups and prevent them from carrying out further attacks.
In the North East, troops under Operation Hadin Kai neutralized 292 terrorists, apprehended 254 suspects, and rescued 213 kidnapped hostages. Additionally, 2,742 Boko Haram/ISWAP combatants and their families surrendered, and a large cache of arms was recovered.
In the North Central, Operation Safe Haven troops neutralized 50 violent extremists, apprehended 290 suspects, and rescued 121 kidnapped hostages. Under Operation Whirl Stroke, 37 terrorists were neutralized, 94 suspects were arrested, and 68 kidnapped hostages were rescued.
In the North West, Operation Hadarin Daji troops neutralized 153 terrorists, arrested 97 suspects, and rescued 186 kidnapped hostages. Operation Whirl Punch saw the neutralization of 63 terrorists, the apprehension of 291 suspects, and the rescue of 62 kidnapped hostages.
In the South-South, Operation Delta Safe troops spiked the nation’s daily crude oil production to over 1.5 million barrels per day in August. They arrested 71 individuals involved in crude oil theft, impounded millions of liters of various fuels, and destroyed 458 illegal refining sites.
In the South East, Operation UDO KA troops conducted operations against the IPOB/ESN terror group, neutralizing 34 terrorists, apprehending 82 suspects, and rescuing 26 kidnapped hostages.