Troops of the 133 Special Forces Battalion of the Army have killed five suspected militants as Operation Crocodile Smile got underway in the Niger Delta at the weekend.
Twenty three other suspects were arrested, the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, said.
The operation was carried out by the Special Forces at the militants’ camps.
The army spokesperson said items recovered from the camps include two AK-47 rifles, 11 Pump Action Guns, a locally made revolver pistol, 292 cartridges of live Ammunition, 199 rounds of AK-47 rifle Ammunition, four electricity generating sets and a Camp Gas Cooker.
The troops also recovered an abandoned Engine Boat left by the fleeing militants.
The operation which was flagged off by the Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen Tukur Buratai, is aimed at getting rid of all forms of criminal activities in the region.
Meanwhile, there was tension in the Niger Delta region at the weekend following special military drills on the first day of Operation Crocodile Smile (OCM). This is coming as the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) yesterday named Nobel laureate Prof Wole Soyinka, former Abia State governor Orji Kalu and others as members of its panel to dialogue with the federal government.
The operation was designed by the military to equip the amphibious and internal security operations in the riverine areas against the activities of Niger Delta militants.
It is also designed to train Special Forces, formations and units located in the region. It is said to comprise both strategy perfection and public confidence building.