The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) reports that Nigerian military and Department of State Service (DSS) personnel have successfully apprehended a key leader of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Bauchi state.
The ISWAP leader was captured in a well-executed sting operation on November 29 in Tarum Village, situated just outside Bauchi Metropolis. Although the DHQ did not disclose the individual’s name, it revealed that the detained ISWAP leader held a prominent position overseeing the North Central and North West zones.
Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, the Director of Defence Media Operations, made this revelation in a statement issued on Friday, December 1. The military high command emphasized that the arrest was a strategic move aimed at neutralizing the leadership of terrorist groups and preventing them from posing further threats to the safety and security of citizens.
Buba further explained that the ongoing military operations throughout the country have consistently weakened the fighting force of terrorists and other criminal elements, thereby significantly reducing their overall capacity to engage in hostilities.
He said: “The leadership of these groups remain the prime targets of ongoing operations. Accordingly, the armed forces remains determinate to destroy the terrorists, insurgents and violent extremist groups in the country and degrading their military capability,” Buba said.
The defence spokesperson said airstrikes by Nigerian Air Force (NAF’) aircrafts have destroyed several enclaves of terrorist leaders in the North West and North Central zones in the past week.
Buba said: “The operations of the week in focus resulted in 52 neutralized terrorists, while 204 of them were arrested.
“Troops also arrested 58 perpetrators of oil theft and rescued 234 kidnapped hostages.
“In the South South zone, troops recovered 267,700 litres of stolen crude oil, 567,700 litres of illegally refined diesel and 5,000 litres of kerosene.
“Troops destroyed 7 dugout pits, 25 boats, 47 storage tanks, 5 vehicles, 141 cooking ovens, one pumping machine, one outboard engine, one tricycle, one speedboat, one tugboat and 51 illegal refining sites.”
According to defence spokesperson, troops recovered 46 assorted weapons and 148 assorted ammunition, comprising 30 AK47 rifles, two josef magnum pump action gun, one double barrel gun, two single barrel guns, 12 locally made pistols, 13 dane guns, one hand grenade, nine locally made rifles, 3 RPG chargers, two locally made hand grenades.
Others, according to Buba, are 120 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 364 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 54 live cartridges, 11 rounds of empty cases of 7.62mm special ammo, 32 magazines, 34 vehicles, 64 mobile phones, 47 motorcycles and sum of N1,582,690.00 amongst other items.
