Military Adjusts Operations to Protect Farmers during Rainy Season

…neutralized 220 terrorists, arrested 395 others

Kabir Abdulsalam

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has said that it is scaling up its operations to ensure the safety of farmers during the upcoming rainy season.

Major General Edward Buba, Director of Defence Media Operations, said the military has adjusted its priorities to protect farmers and facilitate a successful farming season.

In a statement on Friday, General Buba also revealed that troops  neutralized 220 terrorists, arrested 395 others, and rescued 202 hostages in the past week alone.

He said, “Our operational adjustments have been made to prioritise protection for farmers to ensure a successful rainy season farming.”

Maj.-Gen. Buba said troops also arrested 55 suspected oil thieves and recovered stolen products worth N1, 860,151,700.00 within the period.

He further disclosed that 432 assorted weapons and 9,004 assorted ammunition were recovered by the gallant troops in the period under review.

While giving breakdown, he said troops also  recovered items to include three PKT guns, one G3 rifle, 83 AK47 rifles, 18 locally fabricated gun, 16 Dane guns, two pump action guns, two double barrel guns, two single barrel guns, eight locally fabricated pistols, two revolver rifles, one hand grenades, 14 RPG bombs, one RPG launcher, two tear gas launchers, 234 smoke grenades and one bandolier.

Other weapons recovered include 5,893 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 2,064 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 401 rounds of 9mm ammo, 200 rounds of 7.62 x 54mm, 154 rounds of 7.62 x 51mm, 195 live cartridges, 17 magazines, three baofeng radios, eight vehicles, 32 motorcycles, 59 mobile phones and the sum of N813,550.00 only amongst other items.

Meanwhile, in the Niger Delta area, he said troops discovered and destroyed 51 dugout pits, 38 boats and 51 storage tanks.

Other items recovered in the region include 215 cooking ovens, two speedboats, 44 drums, three tug boats, three barges, four wheelbarrows, one outboard engine, 15 vehicles, three motorcycles, six mobile phones and 105 illegal refining sites.

Buba added that troops also recovered 1,099,860 litres of stolen crude oil, 1,101,700 litres of illegally refined AGO, 27350 litres of DPK and 150 litres of PMS.

He said Winning the war against the terrorist is non-negotiable while also assured that troops will continue to employ significant firepower to neutralise terrorists and disrupt their activities across the country.