Edo guber: Soldiers deployed to ensure violence free, credible polls – DHQ

The Defence Headquarter (DHQ) Friday assured Nigerians that troops are strategically deployed to ensure that the off-cycle governorship election scheduled for Saturday in Edo state is violence free, fair and credible.

Director Defence Media Operations Major General Edward Buba who disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on Friday, said troops role is to support the police to ensure voters safety and security.

“Accordingly, troop’s presence is to thwart the activities of those elements bent on fomenting crisis during the elections,” he said.

Speaking on the successes recorded by troops deployed for operations in different parts of the country, he said, troops neutralised 159 and arrested 174 persons.

He said troops also arrested 45 perpetrators of oil theft and rescued 188 kidnapped hostages.

“In the South South, troops denied the oil theft of the estimated sum of Seven Hundred and Thirty Six Million Nine Hundred and Seventy One Thousand Four Hundred and Fifty Naira (N736,971,450.00) only,” he said.

Speaking further, the defence spokesperson said, troops recovered 151 assorted weapons and 12,401 assorted ammunition.

According to him, the breakdown as follows: “3 PKT guns, one SLR, 92 AK47 rifles, 25 fabricated rifles, 15 dane guns, 4 pump action guns, 4 locally made pistols, one pistol, 2 RPG tubes, one RPG bomb, 66 AK47 magazines, one FN magazine, 2 locally fabricated hand grenades.

“Others are 10,346 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 1,094 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 92 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm ammo, 479 rounds of PKT ammo, 182 rounds of MG ammo, 43 rounds of 9.5mm ammo, 12 rounds of 9mm ammo, 35 live cartridges, 35 empty cases of 7.62mm ammo, 2 baofeng radios, 15 vehicles, 39 motorcycles, 28 mobile phones and the sum of N5,386,200.00 only amongst other items.”

General Buba disclosed that troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 9 dugout pits, 35 boats, 4 speedboats, 32 drums and 57 storage tanks.

“Other items recovered include 20 cooking ovens, one pumping machine, 14 vehicles, one motorcycles, one tricycle, 10 mobile phones and 71 illegal refining sites. Troops recovered 788,400 litres of stolen crude oil, 28,995 litres of illegally refined AGO, 300 litres of DPK and 3,000 litres of PMS,” he said.

He further disclosed that the military has eliminated many terrorists’ leaders in the last one week.

“The armed forces is taking resolute steps in ending terrorism and insecurity in the country, through ongoing operations.

“Accordingly, the operations are yielding desired results as troops dismantle terrorist network and decimate their leadership and combatants. Indeed, several of the terrorist leaders and commanders have been eliminated from the battlefield,” he said.