The Nigerian army said its troops have eliminated 31 militants affiliated with the JAS and ISWAP, two offshoots of the Boko Haram insurgency, during operations in Borno and Yobe states.
News About Nigeria reports that the army made this known in a statement released on Friday by the defence media operations director, Edward Buba.
The operation happened across different local government areas in Borno and Yobe between August 28 and September 3.
A fierce battle resulted in the neutralisation of 31 insurgents, the apprehension of 7 suspects, and the rescue of 26 hostages.
The military also seized a substantial cache of weapons, including rifles, ammunition, and explosive materials.
It was gathered that the troops intercepted and arrested 24 suspected collaborators and informants of the extremist groups in various locations.
The military recovered a large quantity of ammunition, vehicles, motorcycles, and other items from the suspects.
Speaking in the statement, it said three individuals were arrested while attempting to steal government property, including seed planter machines and a motorcycle.
The army also dismantled the strongholds of two terrorist commanders in Katsina and Kaduna states.
In a different operation in Delta, the military destroyed illegal refining sites and recovered stolen petroleum products.
Troops seized over 725,000 litres of stolen crude oil and 475,000 litres of illegally refined diesel.
The military also discovered and destroyed numerous dugout pits, boats, and storage tanks used for illegal activities.
Other recovered items include cooking ovens, speedboats, vehicles, motorcycles, and generator sets.
The military said its operatives successfully foiled crude oil theft activities in Rivers through air interdiction.
The defence spokesperson said the military’s commitment to improving its strategies to counter the threats posed by extremist groups.
