METELE: Army says trending videos of murdered soldiers ‘doctored’, threatens lawsuit

The Nigerian Army is angered by the videos and photos of alleged killings of military personnel by Boko Haram terrorists currently trending on social media and other media platforms.

While it described the videos and photos as fake and doctored propaganda materials by the terrorists, the army vowed to drag those spreading them to court.

It stated this in an unsigned statement posted on its Facebook wall insisting “the videos and images making rounds as the purported attack on Metele base are false and do not in any way portray the reality of the situation on the ground.”

The statement read, ” The Nigerian Army has continued to observe with great dismay the myriads of photos and video clips being recklessly distributed on various social media platforms by different caliber of persons.

”It is indeed shocking to see how these well doctored propaganda materials from enemies of the State has succeeded in creating fear and unrest in the polity. These doctored materials are obviously serving the purposes intended by the terrorists to misinform the populace, spread panic, hatred, religious intolerance and above all to undermine national security.

“The NA wants to categorically state that the videos and images making rounds as the purported attack on Metele base are false and do not in any way portray the reality of the situation on the ground. Unfortunately, many do not know that indiscretional posts and comments from a citizen that is supposed to be solidly behind its military in these trying times could have a way of dampening the morale of the troops. However, the NA’s resolve in protecting the territorial integrity and sanctity of the Nigerian State would not be undermined by detractors or tacit supporters of the enemies of our beloved country.

“Whilst appreciating the concerns of well-meaning Nigerians who genuinely care for the well-being of its military, the NA wants to draw the attention of its detractors to the fact that spreading of fake news is an offense and violates the provisions of Section 24(1)(a),(b) and (2)(a),(b),(c)(i),(ii) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition & Prevention etc) Act, 2015.

“In view of this, please note that the Nigerian Army would henceforth report these infractions and file cases against individuals or groups who deliberately spread fake news that aims to undermine national security, in courts of competent jurisdictions.

“Equally, the Nigerian Army wishes to inform the public of its iReport channels on the Nigerian Army website, Android and iOS platforms via which the public can forward meaningful advice, criticism or observations that would enable the Nigerian Army better serve the good people of Nigeria. You are to please note this and kindly disseminate through your various channels.”

The video that got the Nigerian Army saddened was supposedly sent to President Muhammadu Buhari by surviving soldiers send as a Save Our Soul plea.

In the video, the soldeirs had urged the President to investigate the quality of weapons procured by the military authorities and save them from further avoidable deaths.

The supposed soldiers had in the videos made available to newsmen in Maiduguri, accused the military authorities of equipping them with obsolete weapons, which according to them were grossly inadequate to effectively confront the Islamic terrorists in the North-East of Nigeria.

The soldiers had also in the amateur video footage, claimed that the military authorities’ negligence of them led to the death of scores of their colleagues in a series of attacks coordinated by the Albarnawi faction of Boko Haram at Metele in the Guzamala Local Government Area of Borno State.

One of them narrating the video is heard saying:

“See what the Nigerian Army has been doing to us. They brought us here. See how they killed our fellow soldiers, they burnt them inside the tanks.

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“They are using us to make money; why? Are we not human beings? They can kill soldiers inside a tank. If Rocket Propelled Grenade can penetrate M -RAG vehicle, what of a fellow human being?

“This is the location called ‘Metele’; this is a place they (the insurgents) took over 40 barrel and these people want to use us, and within one week they killed over 200 soldiers and we are now 147. They want to waste us here . It is a lie, our blood is not here.

“This is a Third World vehicle, a tank manufactured in 1972; and Albarnawi broke all of it. They want to use us and we are not getting anything from them . We want to tell the government of our condition.

“Please, the Federal Government should intervene before the insurgents come and kill us. They mocked us and said we are Zombies, animals; we do not know our rights, any order given to us we will follow.

“We are millennium soldiers, most of us are graduates. Look at what they did to this T 12 tank; it is obsolete. It was a 1983 Czechoslovakian tank procured during ( Shehu ) Shagari’s regime. Is this the money the Federal Government provided to procure weapons?”

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