The Nigerian military has revealed that terrorists, particularly members of the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), have launched a desperate recruitment campaign on social media.
Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, affirming that ongoing military operations have significantly depleted the terrorist ranks.
Buba highlighted that synchronized air strikes by the air force and coordinated ground operations have dislodged terrorists from their strongholds, resulting in substantial casualties.
On November 6, 2024, the air component of Operation HADIN KAI conducted targeted air strikes on terrorist enclaves located at KWALLARAM and ARAINNA CIKI islands in Borno State.
The operations led to the neutralization of over 70 extremist members at KWALLARAM, with additional casualties at ARAINNA CIKI.
“Our troops have neutralized 169 terrorists and arrested 641 individuals involved in insurgent activities,” Buba said. He emphasized that the military would continue to intensify its offensive against terrorist and insurgent threats across the country.
In addition to counter-terrorism efforts, Buba reported that troops apprehended 40 individuals involved in oil theft and successfully rescued 181 kidnapped hostages.
He stated that military operations in the South-South region thwarted oil theft valued at approximately N1.4 billion.
The statement reads, “Troops recovered 192 assorted weapons and 2,970 assorted ammunition. The breakdown as follows: 106 AK47 rifles, 38 fabricated rifles, 26 dane guns, one FN rifle, 3 fabricated revolver pistol, 11 locally made pistols, 5 pump action guns, ome dummy AK47 rifle and one unexploded RPG bomb”, the spokesman added.
“Others are 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 only amongst other items.
“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 recovered 914,445 litres of stolen crude oil, 537,325 litres of illegally refined AGO and 1,285 litres of PMS.”