The Defence Headquarters on Friday, said it has intensified intelligence gathering efforts to ensure there are no hiding places for terrorists.

This comes as a Dutch think tank, Clingendael Institute, said jihadi fighters from the Sahel region have crossed into Nigeria through the Benin Republic border.

The organisation In a report on Wednesday stated that the extremists have settled in Kainji Lake National Park in Niger and Kebbi states, adding that banditry is re-emerging in zones controlled by a militant jihadist organisation in Benin, the Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin.

However, in a statement on Friday, the Director, Defence Media Operations, Edward Buba noted that the military has re-strategised to enable its smoke out the terrorists wherever they are hiding and kill them.

The statement read,” The armed forces have intensified intelligence collection efforts targeted at hunting terrorists and striking them where they may be hiding and hibernating. The aim is to kill these terrorists and the infrastructure that supports them. Additionally, operational adjustments have been made to prioritize protection for farmers to ensure a successful rainy season farming.

“Troops will continue to employ significant firepower to neutralize terrorists and disrupt their activities across the country. Winning the war against the terrorists is non-negotiable.”

Reeling out the achievements of the troops for the week, Buba said 220 terrorists were killed, while 202 kidnapped victims were rescued.

Buba added that several weapons were recovered from the terrorists.

He said, “During the week under review, troops neutralised 220 and arrested 395 persons. Troops also arrested 55 perpetrators of oil theft and rescued 202 kidnapped hostages.

“Furthermore, troops recovered 432 assorted weapons and 9,004 assorted ammunition. The breakdown is as follows: 3 PKT guns, one G3 rifle, 83 AK47 rifles, 18 locally fabricated guns, 16 Dane guns, 2 pump action guns, 2 double barrel guns, 2 single barrel guns, 8 locally fabricated pistols, 2 revolver rifles, one hand grenades, 14 RPG bombs, one RPG launcher, 2 tear gas launchers, 234 smoke grenades and one bandolier.

“Others are 5,893 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 2,064 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 401 rounds of 9mm ammo, 200 rounds of 7.62 x 54mm, 154 rounds of 7.62 x 51mm, 195 live cartridges, 17 magazines, 3 baofeng radios, 8 vehicles, 32 motorcycles, 59 mobile phones and the sum of N813,550.00 only amongst other items.”

In the South-South, Buba said troops denied oil theft of the estimated sum of N1.9bn.

“Also, troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 51 dugout pits, 38 boats and 51 storage tanks. Other items recovered include 215 cooking ovens, 2 speedboats, 44 drums, 3 tug boats, 3 barges, 4 wheelbarrows, one outboard engine, 15 vehicles, 3 motorcycles, 6 mobile phones and 105 illegal refining sites.

“Troops recovered 1,099,860 litres of stolen crude oil, 1,101,700 litres of illegally refined AGO, 27350 litres of DPK and 150 litres of PMS,” the statement added. (The PUNCH)

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