Defence HQ denies terrible plight of soldiers in North East theatre

THE Defence Headquarters has described a trending story on the despicable conditions of some of the troops of the Nigerian Army in the northeast front line as untrue.

Spokesman for the defence headquarters Brigadier General John Agim said it was not true that soldiers were begging for food and all the negative attention the publication was trying to attract.

Agim said in a release that headquarters “wishes to respond to a trending video clip and story alleging that the soldiers fighting Boko Haram terrorists beg for food and sleep in classrooms. There is nothing farther from the truth than the story.

“The Defence Headquarters hereby draw the attention of the media and the general public to activities of fifth columnists whose only objective is to collaborate with enemies of our nation to prolong their own organizational interests. The story/video is one of their many strategies targeted at breaking the cohesion and the fighting spirit of the troops.

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“It is a known fact that all over the world, the battlefront is not a playground. What differentiates soldiers from civilians is the ability to endure hard conditions and make sacrifices. Same goes for accommodation at the battlefront as the soldiers are either on the move or in trenches.

“Accommodation where necessary, are makeshift and not expected to be luxurious. That is the reality and price of the Military Profession. There is no easy way.

“For those who may not know, there is no barracks in Sambisa forest and several other troops locations in the North East. Also, troops are promptly paid approved operational allowances aside other welfare and administrative arrangements. Whereas there may be challenges in the battle-space which is normal, appropriate measures are being taken to address them.

“The story is a failed attempt to distract the purposeful direction in the counter-terrorism fight. The Nigerian Armed Forces is stating categorically here that its fighting spirit is indomitable and no amount of falsehood can distract the military from fighting terrorism to a conclusive end.”

He called on the public to disregard the publication and continue to give the military the needed support and cooperation adding together we shall bring total peace and security to our fatherland.