The Defence Headquarters has confirmed that troops eliminated 74 terrorists, arrested 130 suspects, and rescued 61 kidnapped hostages in a series of operations conducted between March 5 and 13.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Markus Kangye, disclosed this during a weekly briefing on ongoing military operations across Nigeria, held on Friday in Abuja.
Kangye stated that the successful operations were carried out through joint efforts of the land component of the Armed Forces, teams from the Office of the National Security Adviser, security agencies, and hybrid forces.
Recovered Weapons and Ammunition:
- 71 assorted weapons, including:
- 32 AK-47 rifles
- 15 locally fabricated guns
- 9 Dane guns
- 3 pump-action guns
- 2 locally made pistols
- 10 other assorted arms
- 1,202 rounds of ammunition, comprising:
- 1,133 assorted rounds of 7.62mm ammunition
- 69 live cartridges
Additionally, Kangye revealed that 143 terrorists, including five adult males, 66 adult females, and 72 children, surrendered to troops in the North-East theatre of operations.
Among those who surrendered, one terrorist voluntarily handed over two AK-47 rifles, 33 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, and two magazines.
Reaffirming the military’s commitment to national security, Kangye assured Nigerians that “the gallant men and women of the Armed Forces will continue to fulfil their constitutional responsibilities of protecting the lives and property of all Nigerians in line with our constitutional roles, Rules of Engagement, and Code of Conduct for Internal Security Operations.”
