•Military warns mischief-makers
The Army has denied the report aired on “Eastern Radio” and published by its affiliated groups on alleged mutiny and tribal war at Army Barracks, 82 Division, Enugu.
Saying there was no truth in the story, it warned mischief-makers to desist from “unpatriotic and subversive acts”.
Director of Public Relations Colonel Sani Usman, in a statement, said the attention of the Army was drawn to the report, which he described as a deliberate and calculated campaign of calumny aimed at misleading the public and causing disaffection among troops.
He alleged that the story was circulated in the social media by a faceless and obviously subversive group, named “Eastern Radio”.
According to him, the group created and posted a story, titled: “Tribal War at Army Barracks, 82 Division, Enugu. Three Soldiers Feared Dead”, on social media platforms.
“They alleged that there was an altercation in an unnamed barracks in 82 Division over nomination for ‘peacekeeping operations’, which led to exchange of gunfire among troops, resulting in loss of lives.
“Apart from obvious flaws and inconsistency in the narration, the Army wishes to state that no such incident occurred anywhere in the Army, let alone 82 Division.
“In fact, the alleged reported incident existed only in the obviously negatively skewed minds of the authors of such fabrication,” Colonel Usman said.
He added: “We wish to also reassure Nigerians that the Army remains a national institution, which emphasises peace, unity and mutual co-existence devoid of any sentiments or such variables as ethnic, tribe or religious differences.
“Any attempt by any individual or group of persons to associate the military and indeed the Army with such will be a waste of time, energy and resources.”
The Army spokesman said soldiers were proud professionals bound by discipline, love, loyalty, espirit-de-corps and love for our colleagues and country.
“We would remain focused and would not be distracted by irritating campaigns of calumny or fabricated lies by some unscrupulous elements,” the statement added.
The intent and goals of those who aired and published the story, he said, were to cause distrust among the troops and the country’s populace, saying such move was “an exercise in futility because the Army is cohesive”.
“We would like to inform the public that the 82 Division is intact in all locations and deployments, same goes for all formations, units, cantonments and barracks,” he said.
He assured the public of the chief of Army Staff’s commitment to protect life and property.
Also yesterday, the 82 Division in Enugu dispelled rumours of the tribal mutiny among its men and officers.
A statement in Enugu by the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, Colonel H.A. Gambo, described the report as “baseless and a figment of the author’s jaundiced imagination”.
“The public is hereby called upon to discountenance the storyline of ‘Eastern Radio’ and their affiliated secessionist groups.”
