Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has confirmed the killing of 191 terrorists and arrest of criminals, including oil thieves, in the past two weeks of renewed onslaught against insurgents.
  
It urged Nigerians to support the ongoing military effort in the aggressive posture of troops across the six geopolitical zones, adding that perpetrators of insecurity are not ghosts, as they have families and relations, and are from communities in the country.
  
Director, Defence Media Operations (DDMO), Maj-Gen. Edward Buba, made the disclosure, yesterday, at the bi-weekly media briefing with defence correspondents on strategic military operations across the country to curtail the activities of violent extremists.
  
Buba noted that troops denied the perpetrators of insecurity the freedom of action after neutralising 191 terrorists, arrested 184 suspected criminals, 22 suspected oil thieves and rescued 91 kidnap hostages, while terrorists and their families surrendered to troops. He urged Nigerians to neither hide the criminals nor join forces with them, but support the military’s effort to flush them out of the society. 
  
According to him, the terrorists’ modus operandi has been decoded.  Buba added that troops recovered 209 assorted weapons and 2,894 assorted ammunition.
  
He said the troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 38 dugout pits, 21 boats, 57 storage tanks, three tapping hoses, four drum receivers, 89 cooking ovens, six pumping machines, three outboard engines and 34 illegal refining sites. Thy recovered 696,250 litres of stolen crude oil, 54,400 litres of illegally refined diesel and 1,200 litres of petrol.

MEANWHILE, the Federal Government has pledged to support the military in discharging its constitutional duties.  
This was stated by the Vice President, KashimShettima, at the convention of the cadets of 70 Regular Course atNigeria Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna State.

Shettima, who was represented by the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Abubakar, said the academy remains a vital institution in Nigeria’s defence and security architecture.

He called on the graduates to continue playing their constitutional role of defending the territorial integrity of the country, adding that the knowledge acquired at the academy should be used in assisting the current administration to actualise its Renewed Hope Agenda for the citizenry 
Earlier, in his welcome address, the Commandant of NDA, Maj-Gen. J. O.Ochai, said the academy “has inculcated integrity, discipline, leadership and sense of duty to the Nigerian military.