The Defence Headquarters has denied reports that terrorists hijacked two armoured vehicles in Zamfara State.
They also refuted claims that a large number of civilians were killed and buried en masse by terrorists, as well as reports that over 150 residents were kidnapped by terrorists in Sokoto State.
The DHQ’s response came after videos emerged over the weekend.
In the first video, terrorists claimed to have hijacked two armoured vehicles from the troops and were seen celebrating the alleged victory.
In another video, terrorists were shown conducting a mass burial for civilians, while a final video claimed that over 150 residents were kidnapped in Sokoto State.
In a statement on Monday, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, said the videos were fake.
Clarifying the situation in Zamfara, he explained that the two armored vehicles got stuck due to the swampy terrain while troops were trying to outflank the terrorists gathered at Kwashabawa Village.
He added that the troops demobilized the vehicles to prevent the terrorists from using them.
Buba said, “ On August 29, troops of OP HADARIN DAJI deployed at FOB Zurmi in Zurmi LGA of Zamfara State, embarked on fighting patrol to dislodge terror gathering at Kwashabawa Village. Troops engaged the terrorists en route to the location.
“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 also stated that the viral video showing terrorists conducting mass burials for civilians did not take place in the country.
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He said, “In a related development, the attention of DHQ has been drawn to a trending video propagated from the terrorist camp. The video depicted the killing of several civilians in a mass grave. It must be noted that the incident never took place in Nigeria. Rather, it sadly took place in a nearby African country faced with terrorism. “
He stated that the rumoured abduction of citizens in Sokoto was planted by terrorists to rubbish the win recorded by troops.
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, therefore, urged citizens to be cautious of the tactics used by terrorists, noting that it is not unusual for terrorists to resort to propaganda during times of conflict.
He said, “On the whole, the public is urged to be circumspect of the antics of the terrorist to propagate misinformation, disinformation and fake news as part of their war propaganda effort. These situations are not uncommon in war.
“The dynamic and ever-changing environment of war creates some of these experiences. Nevertheless, troops retain operational flexibility to make adjustments in achieving the strategic objective of winning the war.”
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