Troops kill Terrorist Commanders, Foil Oil Theft Worth N7.4bn in 1st Quarter 2025 – DHQ

By Chimezie Godfrey

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) Abuja says many terrorist commanders have been neutralized during military operations in the first quarter of 2025.

The Director, Defence Media Operations (DDMO) Major General Marcus Kangye who revealed this in Abuja on Thursday while briefing journalists on the ongoing military operations by the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) for the first quarter of 2025, also revealed that troops foiled oil theft worth over seven billion naira.

General Kangye noted that between the month January and March 2025, that there have been aggressive operational tempo by gallant troops in conjunction with hybrid forces and other security agencies across all theaters.

He said,”The troops demonstrated uncommon bravery, resilience, determination and strong will during various encounters throughout the quarter, including fighting and confidence building patrols, raids, ambushes and clearance as well as search and rescue operations with remarkable outcomes. Air component also conducted reconnaissance, close air support and interdiction missions with high success rates, which seriously degraded the terrorists strength and will to fight.

“During the quarter, many terrorist commanders such as Abba Allai (aka Amirul Khalid of Alafa), Abdullahi (aka Honour), Jagaban and Dan Danger amongst others were neutralized, Abdullahi Ali who was captured alive with severe gun wounds, while this efforts by our gallant troops created gaps in the command and leadership structures of BHTs as well as ISWAP/JAS terrorists.

“There were also infighting for supremacy within the ranks of the various terrorist factions, which sparked cracks in their leadership hierarchy, hence the observed confusion in their various camps. Our gallant troops exploited the situation and dealt decisively with them on various fronts, hence their resort to attack on soft targets and the use of IEDs and isolated ambushes.

“The sustained operations against the terrorists also led to the arrest of scores of them, rescue of kidnapped hostages as well as surrendering of many to our troops. Some gunrunners and terrorists’ logistics suppliers such as Alhaji Mansur Mohammed, Shehu Babangida, Sagi David, Blessing Paul, Shuaibu Maji were also arrested.

“During the Quarter, Operation DELTA SAFE foiled oil theft worth over Seven Billion, Four Hundred and Twenty-Eight Million, Six Hundred and Forty-Eight Thousand, Two Hundred and Forty-Six Naira (7,428,648,246.00) only. The breakdown indicates: 6,290,437 litres of stolen crude
oil, 1,319,350 litres of illegally refined AGO, 6,130 litres of DPK and 4,545 litres of PMS. Additionally, troops discovered and destroyed 257 crude oil cooking ovens, 128 dugout pits, 192 boats, 138 storage tanks, 236 drums and 122 illegal refining sites. Other items recovered include; barge, speedboats, pumping machines, drilling machines, and over 90 vehicles.”

General Kangye also revealed that within the period under review, troops recovered huge quantities of assorted arms including various kinds of machine guns, RPG tubes, automatic weapons as well as locally fabricated guns and IEDs. He added that huge cache of assorted 7.62mm and 9mm ammunition, as well as live cartridges were also recovered.

According to him, these laudable achievements were made through the effort of various military operations across the troubled zones of the country, which includes Operation Hadin Kai, Operation whirl Punch, Operation Safe Haven, Operation Delta Safe, Operation Whirl Stroke, Operation IDO KA, among others.

The DDMO assured that gallant men and women of the AFN in conjunction with other security agencies would continue to synergize efforts at addressing the myriads of security challenges bedeviling the nation.

“The gallant men and women of the AFN in conjunction with other security agencies as well as hybrid forces will continue to observe the laws of armed conflict, rules of engagement and code of conduct for internal security operations as they synergize efforts at addressing the myriads of security challenges bedeviling our dear nation, in line with our constitutional roles,” he said.