The Nigerian Army (NA) has distanced its men and officers from an online video footage making the rounds in the social media, showing some persons in military fatigue torturing and mutilating suspected terrorist.
The Director Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu on Monday said the video is not only capable of deceiving unsuspecting members of the public into believing that the men in the footage are members of the Nigerian Army engaged in the ongoing counter insurgency operations in the North East, but also a deliberate effort to promote a culture of violence in the society by creating an erroneous impression that it is a legitimate action by troops.
Nwachukwu said preliminary investigations reveal that the said footage has been on the social media for quite a long time and is not originated by troops of the Nigerian Army.
He explained that the uniform of Nigerian Army troops deployed in the North East is the Nigerian Desert Camouflage, while that of other operations around the country is the Nigerian Woodland Camouflage.
Nwachukwu said the military fatigue worn by the criminals is a far variation from the uniforms adorned by Nigerian troops in the various theatres of operation.
He informed the general public that the video being circulated does not have any connection with its operations. “Those in the footage are not troops of the Nigerian Army and do not represent any operation of the Nigerian Army.
“The video is circulated by mischievous elements aiming to tarnish the good image and reputation of the Nigerian Army, in order to create mistrust in the minds of the public.
“It must be reiterated that as a responsible organisation, the Nigerian Army conducts its operational activities in line with extant rules of engagement and respect for fundamental human rights,” Nwachukwu said.
He distanced the Nigerian Army from the outrageous video and reassured the public that the Nigerian Army under the leadership of the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Faruk Yahaya will continue to discharge its roles of securing the territorial integrity of the nation and aid to civil authority professionally and in consonance with extant laws and international best practice.
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