Defence Headquarters has dismissed a misleading video circulating on social media showing soldiers allegedly mistreating women in Plateau State.
A statement by the Acting Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, said the video in question originated from an incident that took place in Sambisa Forest in 2021, which involved the spouses of Boko Haram members during the capture of strongholds of the Boko Haram insurgents.
Gen. Gusau stated that the incident did not occur in Plateau State as falsely claimed, adding that the soldiers involved in the incident were duly sanctioned and dealt with by the military authority at the time it happened for their unprofessional conduct.
The reads:
“The attention of DHQ has been drawn to a misleading video circulating on social media depicting soldiers allegedly mistreating women under the caption “Operation Rainbow in Plateau State”. It has come to our attention that the video in question originated from an incident that took place in Sambisa forest in 2021, involving the spouses of Boko Haram members during the capture of strongholds of the Boko Haram insurgents and not in Plateau State as falsely claimed.
“DHQ wishes to clarify that the soldiers involved in the aforementioned incident were then promptly sanctioned and dealt with by the military authority at the time it occurred for their unprofessional conduct. The dissemination of this old video, with a misleading location tag, is causing unnecessary alarm and has the potential to exacerbate the security situation on the Plateau.
“We urge the individual responsible for recirculating this video to desist from further dissemination, as their actions are only serving to add fuel to the security challenges currently being addressed by Operation SAFE HAVEN. Our forces are actively engaged in aggressive operations and are dedicated to bringing the perpetrators of recent dastardly acts to justice.
“DHQ remains committed to fostering peace and stability in Plateau State and we call on all stakeholders and members of the public to support our efforts by refraining from spreading misinformation that could undermine our collective goal of ensuring the safety and well-being of all residents.”
