By Harriet Tornguvan -Abuja
In a major breakthrough the Armed forces has continued the fight against insurgency, several high-profile terrorist leaders have surrendered to troops in the North Central region
According to the Director, Defence Media Operations (DDMO), Maj-Gen Edward Buba, The development follows a combination of intensified military operations and non-kinetic strategies involving collaborative efforts with key stakeholders
General Buba said, several terrorist leaders, commanders and combatants have so far surrendered with more indicating interest to surrender.
"Notable terrorists that have surrendered include Yellow Jambros, Alhaji Mallam, Ardo Idi(Alhaji Lawal ), Lawal Kwalba, Salkado, Yellow Ibrahim, Gana’e and Babangida among others.
Nevertheless General Buba assures that, troops will sustain its operational tempo in order to destroy or cause further surrendering by terrorists.
General Buba stated that, during the week under review, troops neutralised 135 and arrested 185 persons.
"Troops also arrested 61 perpetrators of oil theft and rescued 129 kidnapped hostages. In the South South operational theatre, troops denied the oil theft of the estimated sum of Eight Hundred and Eighty Nine Million Two Hundred and Thirty Three Thousand Twenty Naira (N889,233,020.00) only.
Furthermore, troops recovered 113 assorted weapons and 2,415 assorted ammunition. The breakdown is as follows 72 AK47 rifles, 11 fabricated rifles, 15 dane guns, 3 locally made pistols, 8 pump action guns, 4 hand grenades, one RPG bomb and tube.
On the other hand troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 93 crude oil cooking ovens, 12 dugout pits, 37 boats, 127 drums, 41 storage tanks and 82 illegal refining sites with other items
Maj-Gen Buba reaffirmed the Armed Forces’ commitment to innovative solutions in tackling Nigeria’s security challenges. “We remain in a winning position in this war,” he declared, underscoring the resilience and resolve of the nation’s military.
