Nigerian troops have made significant progress in their ongoing crackdown on criminal activities, arresting a notorious gunrunner and kidnap kingpin, Buhari Umar, who had long terrorised communities across Gombe, Bauchi, Plateau, and Kaduna States.
This breakthrough was achieved as part of a series of successful military operations conducted throughout April.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, confirmed the arrest during a media briefing held in Abuja. He described the capture of Buhari Umar as a critical step in dismantling armed criminal networks across the country.
In a related operation, troops also arrested a five-member kidnapping syndicate in the Lafia Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
The suspects — Hassan Mohammed, Saleh Sani, Idi Yusuf, Adamu Danmai, and Hassan Bello — were apprehended for their involvement in various abductions within the area.
Further south, troops neutralised several members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), including a high-profile commander identified as Nkwachi Eze, widely known as “Onowu.” Eze, who had been on the military’s wanted list, was accused of orchestrating multiple attacks and kidnappings throughout the South-East geopolitical zone.
The troops also reported the successful rescue of 173 kidnapped victims and the surrender of 204 terrorists and their families.
Also, in a move against economic sabotage, troops arrested 430 suspected oil thieves and other criminal elements. These operations, conducted under Operation Delta Safe, disrupted illegal oil refining activities, preventing thefts valued at over ₦1.93 billion in just one week.
Recovered items included over a million litres of stolen crude oil, hundreds of thousands of litres of illegally refined diesel, kerosene, petrol, and engine oil.
Troops also uncovered and destroyed equipment used in illegal oil refining, including crude oil cooking ovens, dugout pits, storage tanks, drums, wooden boats, speedboats, and refining sites.
Seized items included drilling machines, pumping equipment, motorcycles, tricycles, vehicles, and numerous mobile phones.
Among the recovered weapons by Nigerian troops were automatic rifles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, machine guns, locally made firearms, improvised explosive devices, and assorted ammunition.
Major General Kangye reaffirmed the military’s commitment to eliminating security threats and restoring peace and stability in affected regions, emphasising the continued drive to combat crime and ensure public safety.
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cc: Daily Post Ng
