The Defence Headquarters has distanced itself from the gory pictures and videos of dead bodies dumped into mass graves purportedly of persons killed in the ongoing military operations in the North West and North Central geographical zones of the country.
In a statement on Sunday, Major General Benjamin Olufemi Sawyerr, the Director of Defence Information, said “the allegation is false and malicious” and has nothing to do with the operations being conducted by troops of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
It reads: “The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has been notified of a trending picture with caption ‘Alhamdulillah. ZamfaraMustSecure’ and several other viral gory pictures and videos of dumping into mass grave of persons purported to have been killed in the ongoing military operations in the North West and North Central geographical zones of the country.
“It is pertinent to state that the allegation is false and malicious and has no link whatsoever with the operations being conducted by troops of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN).”
It said while it is true that the AFN is presently conducting successful military operations against bandits and kidnappers in line with its constitutional roles, the operations are conducted in strict compliance with the rules of armed conflicts, “in utmost professional manner, strict adherence to rules of engagement and respect for fundamental human rights and dignity.”
Major General Sawyerr said the pictures being circulated are calculated to tarnish the good image and reputation of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
“For the record, the AFN conducts fortnightly defence media operations brief in which pictures of the operations are displayed to complement achievements in the ongoing operations. Any attempt therefore to portray the AFN in a bad light as a crude force is unacceptable and unpatriotic,” he said.
He urged the general public to disregard the gory pictures, adding that the Armed Forces of Nigeria would not rest on its oars in performing its constitutional mandate of ensuring that the nation remains safe and peaceful for all law-abiding citizens.