The Nigerian Army has described as false a viral video clip purporting capture of Nigerian Army Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) by wanted terror kingpin, Turji Bello.
The director, Army Public Relations, Brig-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, said the video was staged-managed to give a wrong impression about the military.
He noted, “there was no such incident that involved the capture of any of its APCs within the theatre of operations in the North West, as mischievously and falsely portrayed in the video.”
The Army spokesman noted that an analysis of the video clip also revealed that the video was “doctored”, adding that the Nigerian Army vehicles including APCs have NA inscribed on the number plates, a feature that is “conspicuously missing on the reportedly captured APC in the video”.
General Nwachukwu added that the entire events captured in the said footage “was not an occurrence that took place at any point in time within the shores of Nigeria, rather available data point to it, as an event that occured in Burkina Faso some time in 2021.
“Further investigation showed that the same video was posted on Facebook on 9 November 2021 with URL https://web.facebook.com/watch/?v=1544154362616622.”
He restated that the Nigerian Army maintains a high level of vigilance and professionalism in safeguarding its own armoured vehicles by ensuring that they are not compromised by any criminal element.
He, therefore, urged the public to be wary of terrorists’ propaganda strategy aimed at instilling fear and disrupting the peace and security of the nation.
The Army spokesman restated that the Service remains committed to protecting the lives and property of citizens and will continue to work tirelessly to maintain peace and stability across the country.
He assured that the Army will continue to provide updates on its operations and activities through official channels to ensure accurate and reliable information get to the public.
