The Nigerian military says it killed over 8,000 terrorists and arrested more than 11,000 suspects during operations across the country since January.
At a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, Maj. Gen. Buba, Director of Defence Media Operations, shared the year’s accomplishments. “Troops’ aggression across the various theatres of operation since the beginning of the year culminated in 8,034 neutralized terrorists, 11,623 arrests, and 6,376 rescued hostages,” he said. Nigerian military authorities use “neutralize” to mean killing combatants during engagements.
Buba also highlighted the seizing of stolen crude oil worth over ₦57 billion ($35.4 million) and illegal arms. “Troops recovered 53.1 million liters of stolen crude oil, 9.1 million liters of illegally refined diesel, and 8,216 weapons,” he added. The confiscated arms included 4,053 AK-47 rifles, 1,123 homemade guns, and over 120,000 rounds of ammunition.
Buba assured the public that ongoing missions aim to improve national security. “The military is, through these operations, increasingly creating conditions in which terrorists cannot carry out acts of terror or harm citizens,” he said.
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
