The Defence Headquarters has announced that troops arrested more than 120 suspects, including 26 collaborators of terrorist groups, and rescued 41 kidnapped persons during operations carried out across the country between September 14 and 22.
The update was given in Abuja by the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, who explained that the military conducted coordinated missions in the North-East, North-West, North Central, South-South and South-East.
In the North-East, troops under Operation Hadin Kai freed three hostages, arrested terrorist collaborators and engaged Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. In the North-West, Operation Fansan Yamma rescued 14 victims, eliminated fighters across five states and captured a notorious leader, Mallam Abubakar Ahmadu, along with six of his men.
In the North Central region, Operation Enduring Peace led to the arrest of 52 suspects in Plateau and Kaduna and the rescue of nine hostages, while Operation Whirl Stroke freed eight persons in Benue, Taraba, Kogi, Nasarawa and the FCT, also taking into custody a well-known kidnapper, Saawuan Wuaiyolna.
Troops of Operation Delta Safe in the South-South dismantled 16 illegal refining sites, stopped oil theft valued at nearly N20 million, arrested 19 suspects and rescued five victims. In the South-East, Operation Udo Ka freed three captives and recovered weapons and explosives.
The Defence Headquarters noted that the troops carried out the operations with determination and called on citizens to assist security forces with timely information to aid ongoing efforts.