…intercept 1637 bags of parboiled rice
…gun down scores of criminal elements
…apprehend collaborators, smugglers, armed traffickers
…recover firearms, drugs, etc.
By Victor Akaa, Abuja.
The Defence Headquarters has reaffirmed that, the ongoing major operations been conducted by the Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies have continued to record tremendous successes as the operations continue to progressed satisfactorily in all its theatres of operations.
Maj. Gen. John Enenche ,Co-ordinator, Defence Media Operations, Defence Headquarters stated this during a routine press briefing bordering on the military operational activities within the period of 15–21 October,2020 in Abuja.
Gen. Enenche noted ,the military in collaboration of other security agencies with the cooperation and support of the locals providing human intelligence contributed to the major successes recorded within the period under review.
He further gave the breakdown of the successes of the operations in various theatres of Operations in the five zones including Northwest, NorthEast, North Central, South West and South South as thus;
In the North West, Enenche said, troops of Operation Hadarin Daji with resilience had continued to dominate the criminal elements in the zone hence the successes recorded against the armed bandits, cattle rustling and other sundry crimes within the period under review.
He said, in different parts of Katsina state ,troops repelled bandits attack, arrested a suspected bandit collaborator, eliminated about 4 armed bandits including the killing of one Abubakar Haruna, a suspected arms trafficker and recovered 600 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition, while many bandits escaped with various degrees of gunshot wounds.
According to the DMO Coordinator, on 16 October 2020 ,Forward Operating Base MAGAMI patrol team arrested 2 suspected bandits at Magami Market in Gusau Local Government Area of Zamfara State on their alleged involvement in an attack where one person was killed and 13 others were abducted on 21 September 2020.
In the North-West zone Gen. Enenche pointed out that, troops of Op Lafiya Dole in their resilience conducted series of ground and air operations within the period under review.
“The cumulative operations of the troops with superior firepower have drastically denied the terrorists’ freedom of action and reduced their operational in the zone.”
He said, the troops eliminated 4 ISWAP/BH terrorists and made recovery of 4 AK47 rifles in Borno state.
According to him,scores of terrorists were also eliminated, several logistics facilities ,training camps and terrorists dwelling structures destroyed through series of airstrikes conducted by the Nigerian Air Force fighter jets and gunships dispatched in some possible locations indicated to be their hideouts after due intelligence gathering and intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance missions in the area.
“On 15 October 2020, air strikes were executed on ISWAP elements’ locations with structures and logistics items, camouflaged under the dense vegetation at TudunWulgo and Tumbun Gini Villages on the fringes of Lake Chad in Borno State.
“The air strikes led to the neutralization of several ISWAP fighters and destruction of the identified structures with their logistics facilities.
“Air strikes executed on 19 October 2020 by the Air Task Force, decimated several ISWAP training camps and their logistics storage facilities at Tumbun Barorowa, also on the fringes of the Lake Chad in Borno State.”
Some of the Operations conducted by the troops within the period in the zone that led to such successes include aggressive clearance operations, cordon and search operations, Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance missions as well as artillery and aerial bombardments on terrorists’ hideouts at different locations in the theatre of operation.
While explaining further, Gen. Enenche stated that the military have adopted both kinetic and non kinetic Operations in the zone.
He pointed out that both operations have yielded tremendous successes in the fight against banditry and other criminality within the period under review in the zone.
He explained that troops of Operations Whirl Stroke and Safe Haven had conducted aggressive clearance patrols, ambushes and raids that led to the killing of 4 armed bandits, burning of bandits’ camps, recovery of a Toyota corolla Car, several assorted drugs and cache of firearms among others, while some criminal elements escaped with gunshot wounds during the encounter both in Nasarawa and Benue states within the period under review.
He further explained that, troops following actionable intelligence on the activities of the drug kingpins, stormed the area and arrested 6 suspected drug dealers alongside with large quantity of substance believed to be Cannabis Sativa during a raid conducted jointly with the personnel of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the residence of suspected drug peddlers at Zamkam, Gamji, Chakwai and Menum villages of Kadarko district in Wase LGA in plateau state.
He said, troops also obliterated an armed rubber after a distress call in Plateau state and recovered one locally fabricated rifle, 2 mobile handsets, one jack knife and 4 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, while others fled with gunshot wounds.
The operation was complemented with non kinetic operations with the support of Civil Military Cooperation (CIMIC) activities in the form of stakeholders’ meetings amongst several ethnic groups in the Zone.
The non kinetic operation in the zone within the period according to Enenche featured the provision of drugs to Rim Primary Healthcare Clinic renovated by the Defence Headquarters at Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State.
Explaining further, John Enenche said, in the South West zone, troops of Operation AWATSE have continued to fight pipeline vandals, economic saboteurs and other criminal elements.
He said, troops while on routine patrol arrested 2 suspected oil thieves with products suspected to be stolen Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) at Agala 1 and Ilado areas of Atlas Cove in Lagos State as they continued dominating the area with clearance and aggressive patrols while maintaining surveillance to rid the area of pipeline vandals and other economic saboteurs.
Troops of Operation Delta Safe in South South “have sustained the aggressive fight against economic sabotage in the zone with tremendous successes,” according Enenche.
He said, troops had arrested 2 suspected rice smugglers with a wooden boat containing over 1,637 bags of 50kg parboiled rice suspected to be smuggling in from the Republic of Cameroon.
Also, another 2 suspects were intercepted and arrested with a small sized wooden boat laden with 33 drums of products suspected to be Premium Motor Spirit with 2 suspects at Mbo River.
He assured that the arrested suspects were in the custody and will soon be handed over to the prosecuting security agency for necessary actions.
According to Gen. Enenche, troops had discovered and immobilized an illegal refinery containing 321,500 litres of illegally refined oil products at Tuma and another containing 54,000 litres of crude oil at Dabara Creek all in Rivers State.
