The Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) said on Thursday that 2,245 terrorists were killed by the Nigerian military in the three months of April, May and June this year.
Director of Defence Media Operations (DDMO), Major General Edward Buba, told journalists while briefing on the activities of the AFN which comprises of the Army, Air Force and the Navy, that 3,682 other terrorists were arrested during the same period in all the theatres of operation of the military across the country.
According to General Buba: “During the second quarter of this year, troops neutralized 2,245 terrorists, arrested 3,682 suspected terrorists and other criminal elements as well as rescued 1,993 kidnapped hostages. Furthermore, troops recovered 2,783 weapons, 64,547 ammunitions and denied the oil theft of an estimated sum over N10 bn (N10,533,131,470.00) only.
“Breakdown for the period includes and is not limited to the following: 1,169 AK47 rifles, 36,273 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 14,764 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 713 assorted arms and 9,850 assorted ammo.
“Others are 9,225,149 litres of stolen crude oil, 2,874,916 litres of illegally refined AGO, 29,900 litres of DPK and 31,380 litres of PMS amongst other item.
“Troops operations are continually assessed in order to make adjustments in our actions, thereby amending our operations to increasingly ensure we minimize civilian casualties. Our operations are progressing according to plan even as we abide International laws governing armed conflict”, the spokesman stated.
He assured that the Nigerian military “will do everything within the bounds of the law to make our nation safe for citizens.
“The military will keep up with the fighting spirit and maintain the stamina in the frontlines. Our pride is to risk our life’s, to save the life’s of our citizens.
“This is what we do to secure our country” adding that “the resolve of the armed forces is very clear and it is to destroy the terrorist and dismantle their military capabilities in order for citizens to be safe.
“Accordingly, troops are actively fighting in different forms and retain operational flexibility which gives us the ability to respond to different events and to project forces according to strategic needs.
“Indeed, the military has greatly degraded the terrorist, even though they are still present in the theatres of operation. It would take time and effort to completely destroy these terrorists, particularly as counter insurgency is akin to a marathon not a sprint.
“It is safe to say that the terrorist have prioritised their military capability over everything else. This is because as our forces advance and clear areas in which these terrorist hibernate, we continue to recover weapons, explosives and IEDs which are indicative of the priorities of the terrorist.
“Nevertheless, we continue to wipe out the terrorist through synchronised ground and air operations.”