Following the death of several soldiers on Wednesday in Kebbi State, the Defence Headquarters said it had mobilised more soldiers to the area.
The military high command explained that troops responding to a distress call died in an ambush laid by terrorists in Kanya village under the Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of the state.
The Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Bernard Onyeuko, disclosed this during a briefing on the activities of the military between February 24 and March 10.
He said, “Sadly, our own troops, based on information from locals, went for distress calls, but unfortunately, they were ambushed along the line in Kebbi State. Consequently, we lost some of our soldiers.
“We have mobilised to the place and severe action is being taken to redeem the situation there.”
Reeling out the success of the military within the period, he said troops killed no fewer than 115 terrorists.
Onyeuko said the troops neutralised two terrorists on it wanted lists, Terdoo Kiorga, aka Apaapa, and Orkulam Mom, aka Orbutee.
Onyeuko said, “Notably, on February 24, 2022, while on fighting patrol, own troops responded to a distress call from Tse Mela in the Yooyo Council Ward of the Katsina Ala Local Government Area about the criminal activities of Iortyom Wuave, aka Janta, a notorious armed militia gang leader on Operation Whirl Stroke’s wanted list. Own troops mobilised and moved to the location and in a subsequent gun battle, he was neutralised.
“In a related development, on February 25, 2022 troops raided the hideout of notorious armed bandits at Tse Jundo in the Mbamena Council Ward, Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State. During the shootout with troops, two of the notorious armed bandits, Terdoo Kiorga, aka Apaapa, and Orkulam Mom, aka Orbutee, were neutralised. The duo has been on the wanted list of the Operation Whirl Stroke and is known to have unleashed mayhem on Zaki Biam and its environs in the past.
“Consequently, the operations by troops of the Operation Hadarin Daji resulted in the neutralisation of 90 bandits; eight civilians were rescued, and two locally-fabricated rifles, two pump action guns, one locally-made pistol, five rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition and four phones were recovered. Cumulatively, the operations neutralised 96 terrorists.”
Onyeuko also disclosed that troops also recovered four AA-guns, 2,000 rounds of 12.7mm ammunition, 10 bicycles, one unexploded Improvised Explosive Device, one MOWAG APC, one truck mounted with 122 artillery gun, one machine gun, four AK-47 rifles, one 60mm mortar tube with five bombs, among others.
Speaking on operations against oil thieves in the South-South, he said troops in the last two weeks discovered and destroyed 30 illegal refining sites, 29 ovens, nine receivers, 12 coolants, 73 storage metal tanks, 248 polythene bags, 16 boilers, eight pumping machines, 14 wooden boats, 29 dugout pits, two speedboats, four trucks, one bus, 44 drums of AGO and three outboard engines, among others.
Onyeuko also said a total of 2,852,900 litres of crude oil and 3,862,000 litres of Automotive Gas Oil were recovered.
He, however, said a total of 174 terrorists and their families, comprising 43 adult males, 58 females and 73 children, surrendered to troops in Borno State during the period under review.
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