The Nigerian army has
discredited a viral video accusing it of ordering the killing of residents in
Orlu, Imo state.
There have been growing concerns about the security
situation in Orlu, with some accusing the military of invading the communities.
The state government had defended the presence of soldiers,
saying it invited the military to flush out operatives of the Eastern Security
Network (ESN), which was launched in December by the proscribed group,
Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB).
The video was recorded by one Joseph who claimed to be a
soldier and accused the army of giving orders to kill Orlu residents.
Reacting in a statement on Wednesday, Aliyu Yusuf, deputy
director, army public relations 82 division, said the video is an attempt to
“cause resentment and smear campaign” against the military.
He described the allegation as untrue, adding that the
public should be cautious of fake news which seeks to “incite violence and
tarnish the image” of the Nigerian army.
“The attention of Headquarters 82 Division Nigerian Army has
been drawn to an orchestrated video clip by an unpatriotic element which is
being circulated on the social media, claiming to be a soldier in the Nigerian
Army by name Joseph from Bayelsa State,” the statement reads.
“The video was recorded in an unknown market claiming to be
privy to a supposed order given by 302 Artillery Regiment, Onitsha to start
killing everybody at Orlu Market and environs, Orlu L.G.A in Imo State.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that it was a calculated
attempt to maliciously fabricate sensational stories to cause resentment and
smear campaign against Nigerian Army Internal Security Operations. The supposed
individual in the video was not bold enough to reveal his true identity as
claimed or present his so called military uniform and identity card which were
deliberately obscured to deceive innocent target audience.
“The Nigerian Army recognizes the right of citizens to hold
and share opinions on social media and not to spread divisive contents by
unpatriotic individuals. This mischievous misrepresentation of facts,
misinformation and fabrication of outright falsehood as deliberately captured
in the video clip are been orchestrated in the social media to tarnish the good
image and reputation of the military. This great disservice is not acceptable
by any standard.
“The Headquarters 82 Division Nigerian Army therefore wish
to reassure law abiding citizens that the Nigerian Army remains a professional
force, that respects fundamental human rights and deploy its personnel whenever
or wherever duty calls. It is worth to note that Nigerian Army troops deployed
for Internal Security Operations are guided by extant rules and regulations as
stipulated in Nigerian Army Code of Conducts and Rules of Engagement in line
with global best practices.
“The general public
is therefore urged to disregard the false information contained in the video.”
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