We never announced operations in Benue, Kogi, Plateau, Taraba —Army
The Nigerian Army (NA) has dismissed as bogus a directive reportedly issued by Nigerian Defence Headquarters (DHQ) regarding an impending operation in Benue, Taraba, Plateau, and Kogi States.
In a reply, Brig-Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, Director of Army Public Relations, stated that the information contained in the letter was “outright falsehood calculated to spread fake news in an effort to create undue tension and undermine the NA in the discharge of its constitutional roles.”
“A close scrutiny of the fake press release with a fake Army letterhead indicates a non-existent nomenclature in the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN), which is ‘THE NIGERIA DEFENCE HEADQUARTERS ABUJA SECTOR (1) OPERATION WHIRL STROKE’.”
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He added that,, “there is no such appointment as General Operation Commander in the Armed Forces of Nigeria establishments.”
The statement noted further that the Nigeria Army, being a staunch defender of Nigeria’s sovereignty, has over time maintained robust civil-military relations with the good people of Benue, Taraba, Plateau, and Kogi States.
“It is therefore untoward that the mischief makers could attempt to ruin the highly valued relationship with their intent for extrajudicial killing in the course of conducting the purported operations,” he added.
General Nwachukwu stated that the NA has always maintained the flow of information to the general public through suitable media channels whenever the need arises.
As a result, he warned all unscrupulous individuals or groups using misinformation to exacerbate insecurity in the country to stop spreading unauthorized information on behalf of the NA and instead join other well-meaning and law-abiding citizens in supporting the NA in combating terrorism, insurgency, banditry, and other forms of criminality in the country.