The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has announced the successful neutralization of 8,034 terrorists and the rescue of 6,376 kidnapped hostages across Nigeria from January to November 2024. Additionally, 11,623 suspects were arrested during various military operations.
This was disclosed by the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, during a media briefing on Thursday in Abuja, where he highlighted the military’s achievements across five active theatres of operation.
According to Maj.-Gen. Buba, the military maintained heightened alertness and readiness to combat threats, recovering over 8,200 weapons and more than 211,000 rounds of ammunition. The operations also disrupted illegal oil activities, preventing an estimated loss of over ₦57 billion.
“Troops of Operation Hadin Kai in the North East neutralized 2,918 terrorists, apprehended 2,285 suspects, and rescued 1,496 hostages,” Buba revealed. “In the same region, 15,950 Boko Haram/ISWAP combatants and their families surrendered.”
The military recovered:
Weapons: 4,053 AK-47 rifles, 1,123 locally fabricated guns, 731 Dane guns, and 240 pump-action guns.
Ammunition: Over 120,000 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo and other calibers.
Oil Products: 53.1 million liters of stolen crude oil and millions of liters of illegally refined petroleum products.
Regional Operations
North Central: Troops neutralized 411 extremists, arrested 1,859 suspects, and rescued 927 hostages.
North West: 2,646 terrorists were neutralized, with 2,339 hostages freed under Operation Hadarin Daji.
South East: Operation UDO KA saw the elimination of 666 terrorists and the rescue of 323 hostages.
Buba emphasized the military’s commitment to maintaining national security and called for public support in addressing ongoing security challenges.
