The Defence Headquarters on Monday said some sympathisers of the terrorist sect, Boko Haram, have been fabricating stories in the media in the bid to encourage the terrorists.
In a statement on Monday, the Defence Headquarters said the reports by some media outfits claiming that terrorists are now in control of Mafa in Borno State were false.
The statement, signed by the Director of Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade, said though it was true that an attempt was made to take over the town by a group of fleeing terrorists, it was duly repelled by troops.
Olukolade equally said the the claim by some media organisations that terrorists chased out troops and took over Marte cannot be verified as troops were busy elsewhere during the said attack.
He added: “However, all efforts to track the terrorists who were reported to have attacked the town have not indicated their presence as claimed.”
The Defence Headquarters said surveillance activities are however ongoing although there has been no indication of the large number of terrorists as being claimed in some reports attributed to anonymous sources.
Olukolade added: “The terrorist are certainly no longer capable of that level of coordinated action by thousands of terrorists as reported.”
The Defence Headquarters spokesman also said troops have not retreated from Sambisa forest as claimed by same sources, adding: “Rather, the operation is progressing and gaining increasing momentum towards clearing all terrorists hideouts in the forest.
“It is noteworthy that it is becoming common for stories of attacks on some remote settlements to be fabricated and attributed to anonymous or unidentifiable source in remote places. This is apparently the work of terrorists sympathisers or propagandists.
“Military operations to eliminate all terrorists hideouts are going on well and the terrorists are being seriously decimated. They will continue to be pursued and prevented from constituting danger to civilian population in their desperation for survival, suicide or publicity.
“The media is advised to ignore fabrication being churned out by some terrorists sympathizers trying to encourage the terrorists who are in disarray. The truth is that the operation to decimate them from Nigerian territories is progressing well. The military will not be dissuaded by the resurgence of false reports on the operations. The progress will be prosecuted as necessary.”