Military kills 133 terrorists, recovers Aircraft engines in Borno and North-West operations

The Nigerian military has confirmed the elimination of 133 terrorists in a series of operations conducted across Borno State and the North-West region.

According to reports, the Defence Headquarters provided this update on Thursday, detailing key counter-terrorism efforts carried out between January 3 and February 13, 2025.

Maj. Gen. Markus Kangye, Director of Defence Media Operations, announced the recovery of two calibrated aircraft engines from an old, unidentified crash site in Borno State. Additionally, troops seized a double-barrel cannon gun and 16 missiles.

During the operations, security forces neutralized 133 terrorists, arrested 138 suspects, and rescued 46 hostages.

Security forces also intensified efforts against oil theft, arresting 36 suspects and recovering stolen petroleum products valued at over ₦646 million.

Key seizures included:

• 497,152 litres of stolen crude oil
• 142,000 litres of illegally refined diesel
• 4,075 litres of petrol

Troops dismantled 42 illegal refining sites, destroying 164 crude oil cooking ovens and 37 dugout pits.

In the North-West, under Operation Hadarin Daji, troops killed 58 terrorists, arrested 11 suspects, and rescued 16 kidnapped victims. The operations spanned Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, and Kebbi states.

A significant breakthrough came when notorious terrorist leader Kachalla Mudi surrendered in Kaduna, along with two associates. They handed over one GPMG, an AK-47 rifle, and a fabricated weapon.

Other key operations included:

• Katsina (Malumfashi LGA): Troops eliminated five terrorists and rescued five victims.
• Zamfara (Gusau LGA): Six terrorists were neutralized, and four AK-47 rifles with 62 rounds of ammunition were recovered.
• Zamfara (Maradun LGA): Eight terrorists were killed, with security forces seizing five AK-47 rifles and a Baofeng radio.

Between February 7 and 9, a key terrorist leader, Muhada Muhammadu (alias Yellow), was captured along with four associates in Zamfara, Sokoto, and Kebbi states. Troops recovered ₦2.45 million in cash from the suspects.

Additional recoveries from all operations included:

• Weapons: 31 AK-47 rifles, 9 fabricated rifles, 2 GPMGs, and 1 RPG tube.
• Ammunition: 252 chain links of 12.7mm rounds and 558 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition.
• Other Seized Items: 13 motorcycles, 11 mobile phones, and ₦2,451,820 in cash.

The Defence Headquarters reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining momentum in counter-terrorism efforts and urged citizens to provide timely intelligence to support security operations.