Military uncovers terrorist recruitment drive on social media

The Nigerian military has revealed a desperate recruitment drive by terrorists, particularly the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), utilizing social media platforms.

Major General Edward Buba, Director of Defence Media Operations, issued a statement on Saturday detailing ongoing military actions against these threats and affirming the commitment to eradicating terrorism in the country.

Buba highlighted that military operations have significantly weakened terrorist ranks, with synchronized air strikes and coordinated ground offensives proving effective. The air component of Operation HADIN KAI carried out precision air strikes on November 6, targeting ISWAP enclaves on KWALLARAM and ARAINNA CIKI islands in Borno State. These attacks neutralized over 70 terrorists at KWALLARAM, with additional extremists killed at ARAINNA CIKI.

Across various operations, troops have eliminated 169 terrorists and detained 641 individuals linked to insurgency activities. Additionally, security forces have arrested 40 individuals involved in oil theft and successfully rescued 181 kidnapped hostages. In the South-South region, the military prevented oil theft estimated at N1.4 billion.

“Troops recovered 192 assorted weapons and 2,970 assorted ammunition. The breakdown as follows: 106 AK47 rifles, 38 fabricated rifles, 26 dane guns, one FN rifle, 3 fabricated revolver pistol, 11 locally made pistols, 5 pump action guns, ome dummy AK47 rifle and one unexploded RPG bomb”, the spokesman added.

“Others are 1,410 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 1,074 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 67 rounds of 7.62 x 54mm, 130 rounds of 108mm, 101 rounds of 9mm ammo, 146 live cartridges, 2 baofeng radios, 7 vehicles, 29 motorcycles, 40 mobile phones and the sum of N729,000.00 only amongst other items.

“Troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 20 crude oil cooking ovens, 2 dugout pits, 42 boats, 7 reservoirs, 5 drums, 50 storage tanks and 83 illegal refining sites. “Other items recovered include 3 pumping machines, 3 outboard engines, one generator set, one speedboat, 8 motorcycles, 3 mobile phones and 3 vehicles among others. Troops recovered 914,445 litres of stolen crude oil, 537,325 litres of illegally refined AGO and 1,285 litres of PMS.”