Army dismisses report of impending operations in Benue, Kogi, 2 others

The Nigerian Army on Tuesday dismissed a report of impending operations in four states across the country as fake.

A report emerged earlier on Tuesday that the army authorities had concluded plans to conduct operations in Benue, Taraba, Plateau, and Kogi States in the coming days.

However, the Director of Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, said in a statement in Abuja described the report as the handiwork of some fifth columnists bent on misleading the public.

He stressed that the information conveyed in the said document was outright falsehood calculated to spread fake news and create undue tension in the states.

The spokesman said: “A scrutiny of the statement printed with a fake army letterhead showed a non-existent nomenclature in the Armed Forces – “The Nigeria Defence Headquarters Abuja Sector (1) Operation Whirl Stroke.

“Additionally, there is no such appointment as `General Operation Commander’ in the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

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“Furthermore, the fake press statement was riddled with syntax, grammatical, and spelling errors which are in dissonance with the Nigerian Army’s press statements.

“The Nigerian Army, being a staunch defender of Nigeria’s sovereignty, had over time, maintained robust civil-military relations with the people of Benue, Taraba, Plateau, and Kogi.

“Considering the damage that this misinformation could cause to members of the public, the army wishes to warn unscrupulous persons or groups employing misinformation to aggravate insecurity in the country to desist from the practice.

“They should rather join other well-meaning and law-abiding citizens to support the Nigerian Army in countering terrorism, insurgency, banditry, and other forms of criminality in the country.”

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