The Defence Headquarters has disputed that bandits in Zamfara State stole two armored vehicles.
It also denied claims that terrorists slaughtered and buried hundreds of civilians, as well as rumors that over 150 militants were kidnapped in Sokoto State.
The DHQ’s response came after videos surfaced over the weekend.
In the first video, the robbers claimed to have taken two armored vehicles from the troops and were seen rejoicing.
He further stated that the army demobilised the trucks to prevent terrorists from using them.
Buba stated, “On August 29, troops of OP HADARIN DAJI deployed at FOB Zurmi in Zurmi LGA of Zamfara State embarked on a fighting patrol to dislodge terrorists gathered at Kwashabawa Village.” Troops confronted terrorists on their way to the spot.
“During the fight, while attempting to outflank the terrorist. Quantity 2 of troops MRAPs got bogged down due to the swampy terrain occasioned by the rain. While troops tried to extricate the MRAPs, the terrorists massed up, knowing the challenge troops had encountered with the MRAPs.
“Subsequently, troops dismounted and demobilised the MRAPs when efforts to backload them were futile. The sad demobilization of the MRAPs by troops was to prevent it from being useful to the terrorists after abandonment. These situations further illustrate the effect of weather in changing conditions for ground operations.”
Buba further stated that the viral video depicting militants executing mass funerals for residents never occurred in the country.
He stated, “In a related development, DHQ has been alerted about a trending video transmitted from the terrorist camp. The footage showed the killing of several victims in a mass grave. It should be mentioned that the incident never occurred in Nigeria. Rather, it occurred in a nearby African country plagued by terrorism.”
He claimed that the rumored abduction of residents in Sokoto was staged by terrorists to undermine the forces’ victory.
Buba said, “The terrorist, in an act of desperation, tried to manipulate the situation to mislead gullible members of the public. The armed forces unequivocally state that at no time were 150 persons abducted in Gobir (Sokoto State). The rumoured abduction was deliberately planted by the terrorist to undermine troops’ winning efforts and cover up terrorist weakness.”
Buba advised citizens to be aware of the terrorists’ antics, noting that terrorists using propaganda is not uncommon in combat.
He stated, “On the overall, the public is warned to be wary of the terrorists’ attempts to spread misinformation, disinformation, and fake news as part of their war propaganda operation. These scenarios are not rare in wartime.
“Some of these encounters are the result of war’s dynamic and ever-changing environment. Nonetheless, troops maintain operational flexibility to make modifications while attaining the strategic goal of winning the war.”
