By Olayemi Esan
The Defence Headquarters has disclaimed a trending picture with caption "Alhamdulillah. ZamfaraMustSecure" and several other viral gory pictures and videos of dumping into mass grave of persons purportedly killed in the ongoing military operations in the North West and North Central geopolitical zones.
This ascertion was made in a statement by
Director Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Benjamin Olufemi Sawyerr on Sunday in Abuja.
Sawyerr said, 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.
The Defence spokesperson added that, it is however true that the Armed Forces of Nigeria is presently conducting a successful military operations against bandits and kidnappers in line with its constitutional roles.
"These operations are conducted in strict compliance with the rules of armed conflicts, utmost professional manner, strict adherence to rules of engagement and respect for fundamental human rights and dignity.
"The viral pictures being circulated have nothing in common with the ongoing operations. This callous action of linking ongoing operations with falsehood is deliberate and thus, seeks to tarnish the good image and reputation of the Armed Forces of Nigeria", he added.
He noted that, the Nigerian armed forces conducts a fortnightly defence media operations briefings where pictures of the operations are displayed to complement achievements in the ongoing operations.
"Any attempt therefore to portray the Armed Forces of Nigeria in a bad light as a crude force is unacceptable and unpatriotic," he declared.
The military therefore urged the general public to disregard the gory pictures in trend.
"The Armed Forces of Nigeria will not rest on it's oars in performing the Constitutional mandate of ensuring that our nation remains safe and peaceful for all law abiding citizens", he stated.
