By TOM CHIAHEMEN, Abuja –
In continuation of the military operations against crude oil theft in the Niger Delta, troops of the Armed Forces have denied the oil theft of the estimated sum of N943,161,680.00 and arrested 23 perpetrators.
Director, Defence Military Operations (DDMO), Major-General Edward Buba, who made this known at a media briefing in Abuja on Thursday, assured that the troops will sustenance the renewed vigor and momentum till crude oil production target is achieved and exceeded.
Commenting on the operations of the military in other parts of the country, Buba disclosed troops neutralized 147 and arrested 381 persons while and 113 kidnapped hostages were rescued in the last two weeks.
He further disclosed that during the week under review, troops recovered 74 assorted weapons and 3,498 assorted ammunitions, consisting of one dushka, one RPG bomb, one RPG charger, 42 AK47 rifles, 10 fabricated rifles, 13 dane guns, one FN rifle, one revolver pistol, one locally made pistol, 27 magazines, one AK47 dummy rifle, one AK47 top cover and one baofeng radio.
Others are: 288 rounds RG55 ammo, 40 rounds CJ95 ammo, 2,466 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 470 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 73 rounds of 7.62 x 54mm, 112 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm, 42 live cartridges, 6 vehicles, 32 motorcycles and 8 mobile phones amongst other items.
He added that troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 15 dugout pits, 17 boats, 62 drums, one receiver and 27 storage tanks.
Other items recovered include 32 cooking ovens, 2 outboard engines, 2 pumping machines, 2 vehicles, one tricycle, 3 motorcycles and 84 illegal refining sites. Troops recovered 920,800 litres of stolen crude oil, 88,760 litres of illegally refined AGO and 7,500 litres of PMS, he said.
According to Major-General Buba, “we are constantly assessing our actions, adjusting and amending our operations in order to annihilate terrorists across the country. Accordingly, troops are working decisively to kill the terrorists, stop the insecurity and ensure the safety of citizens across the country.”
“Citizens are urged to note that, winning the war depends not only on the military, weapons and finances. It also largely depends on the people. Together we can make an extra ordinary difference in wiping out insecurity in our nation,” he said.
