The Defence Headquarters has denied the claim by a Kaduna-based cleric, Ahmad Gunmi, that troops of the Nigerian military were involved in acts of genocide in Borno State.
The Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Gen Chris Olukolade, said in an electronic mail on Thursday that the military was not involved in the alleged killing field in Borno State. (Find the pictures HERE *WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES)
“The Defence Headquarters has found the latest allegation of genocide against the Nigerian military by a Kaduna-based cleric as not only diversionary but unfortunate.
“The DHQ wishes to unequivocally dissociate the Nigerian military from any involvement in the alleged genocide as depicted in the graphic pictures which appeared in the front page of Blueprint newspapers of 22 May 2014 edition entitled, “Alleged Killing field in Borno’,” the statement read in part.
Olukolade said that the military was highly professional and would not be involved in such dastardly acts.
He said that troops of the Nigerian Army had not embarked on any extrajudicial killing of civilians since the commencement of the ongoing operation in the North East.
He argued that the location and occasion described in the picture was unknown and the person carrying a stick purported to be a Nigerian soldier and the others captured in the picture were not men of the Armed Forces.
He said that while the military would continue to respect the right to freedom of expression in the society, it would not accede to a blackmail designed to cause disaffection between the public and the military.
He described the allegation as a design to tarnish the image of the Armed Forces even though the real motive for the damning allegation was “yet to unfold.”
He advised the media to resist being used by some desperate people to tarnish the good image of the Nigerian military.
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