• DHQ: no inch of military facility ceded to bandits, insurgents
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has debunked an alleged takeover of the Nigerian Army Military Training Area in Kontagora Local Government Area of Niger State.
It described the reports as “incorrect and inaccurate with the realities on the ground”.
In a statement yesterday in Abuja by the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, the DHQ said: “While it is understood that troops have recorded encounters with terrorists in the course of operating in the general area, no inch of the training area has been ceded to the terrorists.
“Indeed, troops constantly eliminate the threat posed by terrorists crisscrossing the vast area. Our clearance operations in the area have denied the terrorists freedom of action.
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“Additionally, the Armed Forces seize the opportunity to clarify that our ongoing operations, particularly in Niger State, are against terrorists. It is, therefore, erroneous for such threats to be described in any other form other than terrorist.”
The military high command said it was working closely with the Niger State government to improve security for the citizens and their property.
“Our troops are not relenting to ensure the destruction of these terrorists wherever they may be hiding,” it said.
Also, the spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu said: “Our training areas remain secured, fortified, and designed to swiftly neutralise any security threat.”
In a separate statement, the DHQ said the Nigerian Army “remains steadfast in its commitment to safeguarding the lives and property of our host communities and Nigerians in general”.
It added: “Reports purporting an invasion of the military training area by alleged bandits and the subsequent displacement of residents from 23 communities across Kontagora and Mariga are not only untrue but are utterly misleading and harmful, as they appear calculated to incite unnecessary panic in the neighbourhood.
“A thorough investigation by our intelligence unit confirmed that the individuals observed in the area were herders seeking grazing grounds for their herds. No malicious intent was detected, and no hostile actions were observed.
“We acknowledge the palpable unease this baseless claim may have stirred within the Kontagora and Mariga communities, as well as Niger State as a whole.
“However, we wish to clarify that no credible threat exists in those areas, as being peddled, contrary to the information presented by Honourable Abdullahi Isah, representing the Kontagora II Constituency on the floor of the Niger State House of Assembly on October 28, 2024.”
