Army warns fake news medium, bloggers, says it did not kill 35 years old woman

The Nigeria Army has reacted to the news making the rounds that troops shot and killed a 35 years old woman on Friday night, in Fwapwa Doi village of Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The Army responding through a rejoinder titled “Re: Soldiers allegedly kill 35 years woman in Plateau”, warn fake news peddlers, bloggers and other mischief makers that it will no longer tolerate any publication that is injurious to the Nigerian Army.

“This Division wish to warn online and traditional media as well as agents of fake news and other likeminded mischief makers that 3 Division will no longer tolerate publication of fake news that are injurious to the hard earned image and reputation of the Division in particular and the Nigerian Army in general”, it said.

The rejoinder signed by the spokesman of the 3 Division Nigeria Army, Colonel Kayode Ogunsaya, and a copy made available to our correspondent at the weekend, explains that the report was a deliberate falsehood and an attempt to portray the Division in bad light.

The statement reads that “The attention of Headquarters 3 Division has been drawn to a story circulating in both on line and traditional media that a 35 years old woman, Sarah Edward Nyam, was allegedly shot dead by men of the Nigerian Army”.

Colonel Ogunsaya dismissing the report as falsehood said “I wish to state that contrary to the report the soldiers were in the Dura -Du district and its environs from Monday 15 October – Wednesday 17 October 2018 to provide security to the sniffer dogs deployed to assist in locating the where about of the missing retired senior officer, Major General Idris Alkali (retired) and not on Friday 19 October 2018 as reported by online and traditional media.

“On completion of the mission, the troops and sniffer dogs returned to the barracks on Wednesday 17 October 2018. The troops did not engage anyone in fire fight because the entire district has been deserted. No soldier fired any shot. All the ammunitions were duly accounted for by the troops”.

The Army spokesman who had earlier warned residence of Dura Du community not to desert their homes while the search for the missing General lasted, to avoid hoodlums from taking advantage of the deserted homes to cart away their properties, also dismissed the insinuation that troops stopped residents from accessing their homes and bungle their shops.

He said, “The write-up further insinuated that soldiers, stop people from accessing their homes, bungle their shops, eating our chickens and goats, ransack our homes. This is not also true.

This Headquarters had earlier warned residents who fled their homes and business premises to go back and continue their legitimate activities to avoid their respective homes and business premises from being broken into by miscreants/hoodlums”.

Ogunsaya said the fake news is a ploy and antics by the fifth columnists to prevent the Army from locating the whereabouts of the missing retired senior officer.

“This Division will leave no stone unturned in order to locate the whereabouts of the missing retired senior officer despite the antics of the fifth columnists”, he said.