The Nigerian Army has spoken on a trending video in which the military are alleged to have obstructed the burial of victims of Plateau state attack.
A statement obtained from the official Facebook page of the Army, said the commander of Operation Safe Haven Jos, who was personally on the ground, only insisted that adequate identification of corpses must be done by relatives before the corpse can be convey for burial to avoid mix up which would stem further problems.
The Army noted that the video was intended to cause conflict between security agencies and Nigerians.
The statement read in part: “The attention of the special task force, Operation Safe Haven, Jos Operational Command has been drawn to an ill-fated video anchored by one Mr Jerry Datti, against the task force and being circulated online.
“The Operation Safe Haven wishes to state that the said video was scripted to mislead the public on the monumental successes recorded by the command in returning peace to the troubled areas of Plateau State.
“The video is written, doctored specifically to weaken the morale of masses and pitch them against the security agencies. It is intended to cause the citizenry to withdraw the support they have been giving to the security agencies so as to allow the enemies a free hand to continue to kill Nigerians.
“It is pertinent to clarify on the avalanche of lies in the 13-minute video the following issues: That at no point did the said Jerry Datti have phone contact with the commander of the Operation Safe Haven Jos as claimed. We challenge him to bring out evidence regards timelines to buttress his baseless assertion.
“That, it is untrue the allegations that the commander obstructed burial of victims of the attack. The correct situation is that the commander who was personally on the ground only insisted that adequate identification of corpses must be done by relatives before the corpse can be convey for burial to avoid mix up which would stem further problems.The command deserve to be commended on this noble procedure rather than condemnation.
“That it is utterly false, the total number of dead bodies claimed to have been gathered by the said Jerry Datti and his group in various communities. This is just a mere antic to raise anxiety and cause disaffection among the masses who have been cooperative and supportive to the security agencies. We challenge him to provide the identities and documentation to the effect that, indeed, such ever occurred.
“That Brigadier General Bello, who is repeatedly mentioned in the video is a junior officer to the commander of Operation Safe Haven, how then would the commander take instructions from him? It is a known practice all over the world as military operates strictly on seniority. This calls to question the integrity and motive of the video and the characters promoting it.
“We wish to state that it is also untrue the allegations to the effect that the commander takes instructions from the sultan of Sokoto. This is not only petty but clearly out of human logic. This is because the respected sultan has never at any time call nor given the commander any instructions either private or operational since he assumed duty here in Jos.
“That everyone is aware that the command relocated her operational base to Barkin Ladi local government, so from where was the character in the video operating or relating with the command from as alleged?
“The same man who alleged that people were not allowed to bury there corpses has on another account said he was assisted by some Hausa residents to bury dead bodies.. Were is the credibility in this documentary?
“That the resort to name dropping as it affects the Governor of plateau state clearly depicts the political under tone and agenda of Mr Jerry Datti as only advancing the course of his political sponsors. Otherwise, why the confrontational approach?