Defence Headquarters on Thursday clarified the 2025 Global Terrorism Index (GTI), which ranked Nigeria sixth among countries most affected by terrorism, saying that the report from the military “gives a more accurate situation about counter-terrorism efforts in the country than that from outsiders.”
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen Markus Kangye, disclosed this while fielding questions on the 2025 Global Terrorism Index (GTI) released on 5 March, which ranked Nigeria sixth among countries most affected by terrorism.
Using the illustration of a family, the Director said that “the information released by the Head of the family, which is the Defence Headquarters, is usually more correct than that of an outsider.”
According to him, “Something is happening in my house. I’m the head of the house. I have children, I have a wife, and kuma shi (someone else) is reporting what is happening in my house to me. Which one would be more correct? The one that I will tell you as the head of the house, or the one that kuma shi is reporting from outside? The one I think that will give you the correct information is that of the head of the house.
“So you, as a member of the media, that attends this meeting every week, you should be able to stand and correct what they are giving Nigerians.”
Speaking further, Kangye said he wasn’t going against the report but urged the media to give the correct version of happenings in the country.
“I’m not countering what they put out there, but as observers, I think you should be the better person that will give the correct version of what is happening in Nigeria.”
On the sit-at-home order in the South East, Kangye said residents, out of fear, still stay indoors on Mondays.
He said the military was working to free the region from IPOB/ESN fighters.
Kangye said, “Who gave the order? IPOB/ESN criminals, and because of what is happening in the South East, Operation Udo Ka was set up just like Hadin Kai in the North East.
“And I want to tell you that for the past three leaderships of the commanders we have in the Southeast, they have been doing very well. And if they give them a sit-at-home order, they will tell them more about your normal business, but the locals in some areas, for fear of being attacked, fear of being killed, they will stay at home. The commanders under that operation are doing their best. They are doing so well to ensure that the Southeast is free from IPOB/ESN.”
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