Nigeria: Our Troops Not Involved in Genocide - DHQ

The military yesterday washed its hands off the alleged genocide as reported in a newspaper and accused the mastermind of the story of being mischievous.
In a statement issued and signed by the Director of Information, Defence Headquarters, Major General Chris Olukolade, the military claims its troops were professionals and operate within the ambit of the law.


"The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) 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 May 22, 2014, edition entitled, 'Alleged Killing Field in Borno'," he said.

Olukolade asserted that though the military will continue to respect freedom of expression of Nigerians, it will not submit to desperate blackmail and propaganda aimed at diverting attention and pitching public opinion against the armed forces.
"The Nigerian military remains a professional force whose operations is guided by high standard of professional ethics and will not be party to such dastardly act. At no time or event in the course of the counter-insurgency operation have the troops embarked on the extrajudicial killing of civilians as exhibited in the gory pictures."

The military disputed the source and the photos of the alleged genocide to buttress its position.
Meanwhile, the federal government has ordered a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding some photographs which appeared on the yesterday front page of Blueprint newspaper yesterday.
The photographs' caption indicated that a Nigerian soldier supervised the execution of some young boys numbering over 30 and their burial in a mass grave.

The photograph which was credited to Dr Ahmed Gumi also had a caption which read, "A soldier stands guard as the civilians - many of them in their teens - line up in open field". Another comment on the photos said, "This crime must not go unpunished."