DAPCHI GIRLS: Press freedom under attack? Military vows to ‘limit’ media access

The military has bemoaned “speculation” by the media over its operations regarding the abducted Dapchi schoolgirls, vowing to now “limit the way we publicise the strategy used in the operations”.

This was disclosed Thursday when the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin, visited Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, alongside other service chiefs, where they held a three-hour meeting with troop commanders over the search operation for the abducted Dapchi schoolgirls.

The defence chief and the other service chiefs, including the Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), Lawan Daura, arrived Maiduguri at about 1 pm and moved to the military Command and Control Centre at the Brigadier MaiMalari Cantonment, for the meeting.

Following the meeting which ended around 4.30pm, the defence spokesperson, John Again, a Brigadier-General, addressed journalists as the service chiefs departed Maiduguri.

Mr. Again said the service chiefs were in town to review the entire counterinsurgency operation, including the search for the Dapchi schoolgirls.

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He said the military chiefs resolved that operational strategy for the search for the girls would no longer be discussed in the public. Rather, he said, the military will only communicate successes recorded.

“The Chief of Defence Staff and other service chiefs came into the Theatre Command to review the main operations, particularly the Operation to get back the Dapchi schoolgirls”, he said.

“The CDS is soliciting for the cooperation of the media and all stakeholders in this ongoing operations.

“To this end, he is asking for maturity in handling the media so that we don’t speculate. For instance there are some ongoing speculation that the military has employed the services of some fishermen and farmers.

“This speculation in the view of the Chief of Defence Staff, can jeopardise the operation and also endanger the lives of the girls as well as all those who are involved in the operations.

“While the military is soliciting for useful information from the well-meaning general public, the military has not singled out fishermen and farmers for this assailants; rather the military is asking for anybody that has useful information.

“What we will be doing henceforth is to limit the way we publicise the strategy used in the operations. Rather, we will communicate the successes of the operations.”

 

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