The Nigerian Armed Forces have vowed to wipe out terrorists and criminal elements in the country if they fail to repent and surrender to the armed forces.

“The terrorists and their cohorts are encouraged to drop their arms and rejoin society to provide a better life for themselves and their children.

“They risk annihilation if they fail to do so”, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, has said.

The Defence Media Operations spokesman who issued the caution also added, "We will ceaselessly punish them with overwhelming military force".

"It is certain that they will continue to sustain even more casualties, as we move forward", he said.

Buba said this on Thursday while giving a highlight of counter insurgency and counter terrorism operations of the armed forces across the country in the last three months.

He said during the period under review, offensive operations and air strikes were conducted to hit these groups and the terrorist where it hurts them most.

He said the armed forces will defeat terrorist and other violent extremist groups including those who support and finance them.

Hear him, "It is clear from our operations that the terrorist and their cohorts have sustained a significant number of casualties".

Buba noted that criminal organisations wreak havoc in order to keep profiting from criminal activities such as illegal mining, kidnapping, cattle rustling, illegal levies on fishing and farming communities and all other unholy forms of criminal inclinations. But he urged “the groups to come to the table in peace”.

He said those supporting them will "face similar fate as these criminals and murders".

Buba gave a breakdown of the operations across the six geopolitical zones from June to August 2023, which reveals that; the troops neutralized 814 terrorists and arrested 1,326 criminals.

Further revelations: "We arrested 42 kidnappers, 231 collaborators, 33 armed robbers, 80 cattle rustlers, 325 militias, 27 rails vandals, 73 gunrunners, 191 suspected oil thieves and rescued 721 kidnapped hostages.

"Additionally, 4,560 terrorist and their families surrendered to troops.

"Troops recovered a total number of 501 weapons, 3,577 livestock, 3,269 assorted kinds of ammunition and 674 other equipment.

"The breakdown of these arms and ammunition is as follows; 117 AK47 rifle, one AK49 rifle, 5 revolver, 28 fabricated rifles, 11 fabricated pistols, 57 dane guns, 23 pistols, 24 pump action guns, 3 FN rifles, 3 GPMGs, one double barrel gun, one barreta pistol, one G3 rifle, 2 HK21 rifles one IED, 123 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 2,008 rounds of 7.62mm special, 30 rounds of 7.62mm x 39mm, 512 rounds of 7.62mm x 54mm, 190 rounds of 5.5mm, 39 rounds of 9mm, 29 rounds of PKM, and 19 cartridges.

“Troops equally recovered: one RPG tube, 3 hand grenades, one locally made hand grenade, one locally made bomb, 2 rifle butts, one AK47 barrel, one GMPG barrel, 2 MG links, 98 AK47 magazines, 2 G3 magazines, 2 FN magazines, 2 PKT magazines, 2 LMG magazines, 2 tear gas launchers, one bullet proof vest, 49 vehicles, 213 motorcycles, 48 bicycles, 69 mobile phones, 5 Boafeng radios, 4 woodland camouflages, 2 boots, 74 knives, 71 handsets, 11 laptops, 13 steering rods and pumps, 45 machetes and 25 jack knives.

“Troops recovered 213 motorcycle, 69 mobile phones, one bicycle, 10 machete and a pair of camouflage.

“Troops operations in South South geopolitical zone resulted in the arrest of the following; 6,652,250 litres of stolen crude oil, 3,558,325 litres of illegally refined AGO, 288,650 litres of DPK and 65,600 PMS.

“All amounting to an estimated sum of N4 billion denied to the oil thieves”.

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