By 
…As Kidnappers invade Army estate, abduct two in Abuja
By Abiodun OBA
The air component of Operation Hadin Kai on Jan. 10 eliminated three top commanders of the Islamic States of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists in Borno.
The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Baba gave the information in the weekly report of the operations of the armed forces on Friday in Abuja.
Buba said the three commanders identified as; Abou Maimuna, Abou Zahra and Commander Saleh with their lieutenants in a canoe, were targeted and destroyed by the air strikes.
He said troops had during the week in other operations, neutralised 43 other terrorists with 76 of them apprehended and rescued 27 kidnapped hostages.
The Director added that the troops recovered 81 assorted weapons 2,150 assorted ammunition and the sum of N1.2 million amongst other items.
In the South-South region, Buba said the troops of Operation Delta Safe apprehended 29 perpetrators of oil theft and denied oil thieves of the estimated sum of N131.1 million during the week.
He said the troops discovered and destroyed seven dugout pits, 13 boats, 23 storage tanks, two barges, four vehicles, 15 cooking ovens, two pump machines, and 16 illegal refining sites.
According to him, troops recovered 139,045 litres of stolen crude oil, 25,115 litres of illegally refined AGO and 5,200 litres of DPK.
“The armed forces will always be mindful of the threat by kidnapping gangs and terrorists across the country.
“Accordingly, we will continually review our internal processes in order to deal with these threats both now and in the long term.
“The military is determined to give the situation the seriousness it deserves so as to create a safer environment for citizens,” he said.
In a related development however, Kidnappers on Thursday night stormed the Nigeria Post Army Estate in Abuja, abducting two residents.
The victims include the wife and one of the in-laws of Barrister Cyril Adikwu.
The incident, according to a neighbour of the victims, occurred around 10:00 p.m. in the Phase 2 area of the estate.
The neighbour, Austine John, recounted the harrowing experience, stating that the kidnappers entered the estate, shooting sporadically, and abducted the two while the Adikwu managed to escape.
John described the traumatic events, stressing the fear among residents throughout the night, with security measures being taken by the estate’s management and the subsequent arrival of army personnel.
He said, “It all started at about 10:00. We suddenly started hearing gunshots, and immediately we knew something was wrong. I quickly went out to make sure my gate was well locked.
“Then we heard the gunshot in the barrister’s house, and then we alerted the estate’s management, who immediately swung into action.
In a short time, army people came around and started shooting too, but before they came, the kidnappers had taken the wife and one of the in-laws of the barrister.
“This is really traumatising because we could not sleep throughout the night due to fear of the kidnappers coming back. President Tinubu should please help Nigerians put an end to this barbaric act by the kidnappers.”
When contacted, the spokesperson of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), PPRO, SP Josephine Adeh, said, “Please, all questions should be channelled to the spokesperson of the Army.”
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