The General Officer Commanding, 1 Mechanized Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Adeniyi Oyebade, has announced that over 100 armed bandits including members of the Boko Haram sect and cattle rustlers were killed within the North West zone in 2015.
He disclosed this while addressing a news conference in his office to review the activities of the division in 2015.
He said that 21 key members of the Boko Haram terrorist group were arrested and hundreds of their camps destroyed within the year under review.
The military operations which led to the recovery of the weapons and killing of the criminals in the zone were Operation MESSA, Operation Restore Peace, Operation Sharan Daji, among others.
The recovered weapons include assorted types of SMGs, AK47 Rifles, machine guns, locally made pistols among others.
The GOC, while displaying them before reporters at the 1 Division headquarters in Kaduna, said that the weapons were recovered from the bandits during military operations in states within the North West Zone. They are Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara.
The GOC said that about 37,000 livestock were rescued and handed over to the state committees charged with the responsibility of handing them over to their owners.
Also arrested were 294 cattle rustlers who have been handed over to the Police for prosecution. He added that
While 101 armed bandits were killed in 2015, the GOC announced that the Army lost six soldiers in the various operations.
He maintained that Boko Haram has been defeated. According to him, what is happening at the moment is mop-up operation for which he solicited support from the communities.
He reassured residents of the North West zone that the Army would do everything possible as mandated by the constitution to protect lives and property but they are also expected to go about their activities without molestation.
General Oyebade also stated that the Nigerian Army has no apology over its recent action against members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria in Zaria.
He insisted that such action would be meted against any group or sect that threatens the peace and stability of the country.