The Nigerian Army says it has neutralized scores of terrorists who were the members of the dreaded Boko Haram and Islamic West Africa Province ISWAP groups and arrested no fewer than 175 others in the last two weeks.
Director of Defence Media Operation, Major General Musa Danmadami, disclosed this during the bi-weekly Media season in Abuja on Thursday.
Danmadami speaking on the operational activities of military and other security agencies across the six geo-political zones of the country said that no fewer than 743 terrorists and their family members surrendered to the gallant troops during the period.
He said that in addition, the troops discovered and destroyed 57 illegal refining sites in the Niger Delta region as well denied oil thieves oil products worth over N82m
According to him, troops in the North Central zone of the country also sustained aggressive postures towards terrorists, bandits and other social vices, and that within the weeks in focus, “troops recovered 7 AK47 rifles, 1 SMG rifle, 2 locally fabricated rifles, 11 Dane guns, 4 fabricated revolver guns, 1 G3 rifle, 10 rounds of 7.62mm special, 32 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 13 rounds of 12.7mm ammo, 20 rounds of 9mm ammo, 3 AK47 magazines and 2 daggers.
Other items recovered include 4 vehicles, 4 motorcycles, 2 gas cylinders, 4 cutlasses, 5 mobile phones and 114 rustled cattle. Troops also neutralized 4 bandits, arrested 86 suspected criminals and rescued 9 kidnapped civilians.
He said the troops of Operations HADARIN DAJI and other Operations in the North West zone of the country equally sustained their commitment and resilience in the fight against terrorists, banditry and other criminalities in the Joint Area of Operations.
According to him, “consequently, the target areas were engaged with rockets with several terrorists neutralized in the air strikes, resulting in the neutralization of 38 bandits, arrest of 10 suspects, recovery of 20 AK47 rifles and rescue of 24 kidnapped civilians.
He further said that the land, maritime and air component of the Joint Task Force Operation DELTA SAFE as well as other operations in the South-South zone of the country, sustained the efforts in ensuring a relatively safe and peaceful environment for business activities to strife in the region.
According to him, “In sustaining this, troops conducted operational activities at the waterways, bush paths, creeks, cities, towns of Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers State, (and) during these operations, troops of Operation DELTA SAFE in the conduct of Operation OCTOPUS GRIP and other Operations discovered and destroyed 57 illegal refining sites, 27 wooden boats, 158 storage tanks, 149 ovens and 8 dugout pits.
“Troops also recovered 122,600 litres of crude oil, 89,850 litres of AGO, 7 vehicles, 18 pumping machines, 1 outboard engine, 1 speedboat, 6 assorted ammunitions, 1 weapon and 1 tricycle. Troops also arrested 16 suspected economic saboteurs.
“It is worthy to mention that a total of Eighty-Two Million Four Hundred and Forty-Five Thousand One Hundred and Fifty Naira (N82,445,150.00) only were denied the oil thefts during the period in focus.
On the activities of troops in the South-East zone, Danmadami said that the troops of Operation UDO KA sustained their dominance over the activities of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra/Eastern Security Network criminals and other social vices in the South Eastern zone of the country.
“Consequently, within the weeks in review, troops recovered 4 excavators, 7 tippers trucks, 1 generating sets, 6 AGO jerrycans, 2 motorcycles, 2 vehicles, 1 locally made pistol, 1 pump-action rifle, 2 cartridges, 6 mobile phones, 1 digital camera, 1 tricycle among other sundry items. Troops also neutralized 2 criminals, arrested 8 suspected criminals and rescued 1 kidnapped civilian.”
This came just as the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has categorically dismissed unfounded, allegations by the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigerian (MACBAN), that scores of its innocent members on their way from Makurdi, were killed in an airstrike in Nasarawa State early this year.
Director, Public Relations, NAF Headquarters, Air Commodore Ayodele Famuyiwa, made known the position of the NAF in Abuja while fielding questions with Defence Correspondents during the briefing.
There had been lingering reports of concerns from human rights bodies about the allegation by Miyetti Allah that dozens of herders were killed in a community in Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa State in January, on their way from Makurdi where they had gone to claim their cows that had been seized by the Benue State Livestock Guard for violating the state’s anti-open grazing law.
However, the NAF Spokesperson speaking on the matter, declared that no innocent person was killed in the said operation.
According to him, “Let the people who said innocent people were killed provide the evidence and let the press do that analysis and let the truth come out.”
The Airforce spokesman, who decried the sustained attempts by some human rights bodies, “to put the military in disrepute,” also blamed the Nigerian press for leveraging on the position of the human rights bodies without necessarily hearing from the Airforce, “and very sadly blowing up the position of the human rights watch without you doing your own discrete investigation and being sure that whatever position that you are taking is correct.
According to him, “The truth of the matter was that On the 24th of January, this year and even before then, there had been intelligence (reports) from several reliable sources of the activities of terrorists in that particular area. You are all aware of the nefarious activities of criminal elements in that particular area; you are also aware that there’s an ongoing operation, that is the OPERATION WHIRLSTROKE.
“The Intel here from several/different sources and even to the Commander of that Operation and to the air component was that there was a plan by terrorists within that area to carry out a massive attack and then there was a secondary school in question that the terrorists were bound to kidnap students. To that extent, the Airforce carried out surveillance.
“There was surveillance and the surveillance confirmed terrorists, and I mean terrorists, and how do you know that they are terrorists? They have tactics which they adopt: you see them coming on bikes in triples, converging at a location and after that, they disappear, hiding under the forage and that surveillance continued for almost throughout the day until later in the evening when a truck appeared in that scene. The truck was suspected to have brought logistics to them. That was why approval was given by the appropriate authority that, that truck should be taken out and the truck was taken out.
“Now, if anyone is coming around to say innocent people were killed, let that person provide the evidence and let the press also do their own analysis so that the truth would come out. It is disheartening for people who are supposed to protect and speak for Nigerians to jump to conclusions without doing that analysis.”
He further said that after the operation, a panel was constituted “to investigate the allegations of people killed. The panel comprised officers and men that included pathologists, so let’s see the report of the panel.
“Until we have the report of the panel, it would be hasty to say that innocent people were killed. But if you say innocent people were killed and you don’t have the evidence, I think that is hasty and it does not show that those people or that organization is fair to the military.
“Let the people who said innocent people were killed provide the evidence and let the press do that analysis and let the truth come out.”
