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Tag: DHQ

  • Troops rescue 7 kidnapped victims in Niger – DHQ

    Troops rescue 7 kidnapped victims in Niger – DHQ

    Troops of 31 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army, under Operation Whirl Stroke, on Saturday, rescued seven kidnapped victims after an encounter with bandits at Dogon Gona Forest area of Niger State.

    The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. John Enenche, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

    Enenche said that the troops rescued the victims while on a mop-up operation within the area.

    He said the victims were abandoned by the bandits after a fierce battle encounter, adding that they were said to have been kidnapped on March 27 and taken to an unknown destination.

    “Following interrogation after a successful rescue operation, the Village Head of Madaki confirmed that the victims were natives of Roro Village of Shiroro Local Government Area.

    “The victims would soon be handed over to the appropriate authorities for further necessary action.

    “In a related development, troops of 31 Artillery Brigade on April 11, engaged bandits in a gun duel at Kontokoro Village while on clearance operation,” he said.

    According to Enenche, the operation led to the neutralisation of several bandits, while some escaped with gunshot wounds.

    He said the nation’s Armed Forces would continue to solicit for timely and credible information from the public for the enhancement of its operations.

  • JUST IN: Amnesty International working for terror groups in Nigeria – DHQ

    The Defence Headquarters has accused Amnesty International (AI) of deliberately supporting the acts of terrorism perpetrated against Nigeria by the Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West African State (ISWAP) terror groups.

    Acting Director Defence Information, Brigadier General

    Onyema Nwachukwu, in a statement, cautioned the group to put an end to its reckless distortion of facts in its bid to satisfy “its puppeteers by undermining Nigeria’s Military campaign against terrorism in the North East”.

    According to the statement: “The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has taken cognizance of yet another falsified report by Amnesty International (AI) in a campaign of calumny targeting the Nigerian Military and deliberately supporting the callous acts of terrorism perpetuated by Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs) and Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP).

    “This inglorious campaign is contained in a recent report alleging employment of unlawful tactics of razing down villages and unlawful detention of locals by troops. This is line with the AIs usual mannerism and tenacious efforts aimed at disparaging the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN).

    “The Defence Headquarters wishes to state unambiguously that the allegations being touted by AI are nothing but a betrayal of its lack of in-depth knowledge of the goings-on in the North East (NE) theatre of operation”.

    It continued: “It is expedient to state that troops of Operation Lafiya Dole who are conducting Counter Terrorism and Counter Insurgency Operations in the NE do not employ arson as an operational tactic. It is a well-known fact, going by the modus operandi of BHTs, that they have more often than not engaged in the atrocious acts of looting and burning of villages, as well as destroying infrastructures.

    “It therefore, beats ones imagination that AI is attributing these atrocities to AFN troops who are legitimately defending the country guided by extant rules of engagement and operational codes of conduct.

    “AI must understand the fact that Nigeria is at war against terrorism in the NE and that the troops have a constitutional mandate to protect lives and property, even if it means conducting an evacuation to save and secure lives of civilians in the conflict. Protecting civilians by evacuating them from the line of fire during combat is not a violation of the international law of conflict or a war crime.

    “It is rather a commendable effort by the troops to prevent collateral damage during combat. Our troops should therefore be commended for making deliberate efforts to evacuate civilians in order to protect their lives and property.

    “It is also crucial to point out, that troops deployed to fight terrorism in the NE do not attack or raze down villages, communities or settlements, rather they launch offensive on terrorists’ camps, enclaves and hide outs.

    “Based on actionable intelligence, persons who provide logistics and other forms of support to the terrorists are arrested and subjected to thorough investigation by a combined team of professionals drawn from the intelligence community of the Armed Forces and other security agencies. Anyone not found culpable is not held in custody for further investigations.

    “AI must therefore put an end to its reckless distortion of facts in its desperate bid to satisfy its puppeteers by undermining Nigeria’s Military campaign against terrorism in the NE.

    “We urge members of the public to please discountenance AIs report, as it is not a true and realistic reflection of troops’ counter terrorism operation in the NE”

  • DHQ dismisses allegation of embezzlement in the military

    The Defence Headquarters has dismissed the allegation of embezzlement in the military by a whistle blower claiming underpayment of soldiers as provided in the Manual of Financial Administration for the Armed Forces of Nigeria (MAFA) 2017.

    The Acting Director, Defence Information, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, in a statement on Tuesday, said that the MAFA document had not been activated for implementation.

    According to him, the DHQ wishes to clarify that the insinuation that personnel of the Armed Forces are under remunerated as against the provisions of MAFA 2017 is unfounded and untrue.

    “Contrary to the claims made by the Twitter handle @ millisaint, the said document has not been activated and therefore yet to be implemented, since the appropriation 2020 was recently passed.

    “The provisions of the MAFA document are thus, billed to be operational in year 2020.

    “It is also essential to point out that MAFA allowances are not part of the Salary Structure of the Armed Forces, consequently, even when implemented the salary structure will remain unchanged.

    “The anticipated impactful change on the salary structure will only come as a result of the recently approved N30,000 minimum wage that will be paid by IPPIS,” he said.

    Nwachukwu, however, challenged the whistle blower to endeavour to verify his information from reliable and authourised sources to establish the veracity of his information in order to avoid causing disaffection within the ranks of the Armed Forces.

    “Members of the public are please enjoined to discountenance the misinformation as it is misguided and bereft of any iota of truth.

    “The DHQ wishes to reassure all personnel of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and members of the public that personnel welfare is paramount in the vision and mission of the current leadership of the military.

    “Any form of short changing of personnel will be met with stiff penalties,” he said.

  • Taraba police killing: DHQ finally sanctions army officer, ASP, three others

    The Board of Inquiry set up by the Defence Headquarters, Abuja, put together at the instance of President Muhammadu Buhari has recommended sanctions for five personnel of the Nigerian Army and the police over the killing of three policemen and one civilian in Ibi, Taraba State, on August 6.

    The board, in a statement by the DHQ on Tuesday, identified the officers to face disciplinary sanctions to include; Captain Tijani Balarabe, Sergeant Ibrahim Mohammed, Corporal Bartholomew Obanye of the Ibi Police Division, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Aondoona Iorbee, and Inspector Aliyu Dadje.

    The panel said the officers must be taken through “necessary disciplinary measures.”

    It was also recommended that further investigation be conducted on Hamisu Bala, the Taraba kidnap kingpin, for gunrunning.

    Recall that the killing provoked national outrage, especially with the manner in which the policemen and a civilian on national assignment were brutally gunned down even after identifying themselves to the soldiers manning the checkpoints at Ibi-Jalingo Road in Taraba State. It had also triggered a rift between the Nigeria Police and the Nigerian Army.

    The rift had, indeed, run through the panel deliberations, as both the army and the police stuck to their different positions on the incident and insisted on appropriate sanctions.

    Intelligence agencies, in the course of the work of the panel, established 190 phone exchanges between the kidnap suspect, Wadume, and Captain Tijani Balarabe, the officer in charge of the army team at the Ibi-Wukari Road checkpoint and who actually ordered the shooting of the policemen and the civilian involved.

    The release of Wadume by Captain Balarabe before his re-arrest by the police and the telephone conversations between them and a Divisional Crime Officer (DCO) in Jalingo substantially established a strong connection between the duo and the culpability of the army officer and other soldiers involved.

    Wadume had before the panel admitted involvement in gunrunning, especially high calibre automatic weapons, notably AK 47 rifles. This raises another poser with regard to the interaction between security agencies and criminal gangs in Nigeria and the challenge it poses to national security.

  • New salary hasn’t been approved for Armed Forces – DHQ

    New salary hasn’t been approved for Armed Forces – DHQ

    The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) said on Friday that a new salary structure had not been approved for the members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN).

    DHQ was reacting to a “fictitious document” being circulated on some social media platforms in that regard.

    “The DHQ therefore, wishes to reiterate that the purported new salary scale for members of the AFN being circulated, is nothing but a false and malicious publication intended to cause disaffection among members of the AFN, as no such salary scale exists, Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, said in a statement.

    Nwachukwu said the DHQ was dismayed by the circulation of the fictitious document which had gone viral on social media, purportedly showing a new upgraded AFN salary structure with effect from May 2019.

    “The DHQ wishes to clarify that the said document does not exist; neither does it reflect the true salary structure of personnel of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

    “It would be recalled that that the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Muhammadu Buhari, signed a new minimum wage of N30, 000 on April 18.

    “It is also very pertinent for the general public to note that the AFN does not approve salaries for its personnel,” Nwachukwu said.

    He therefore urged personnel and the general public to discountenance the “fake document in its entirety’’.

  • IPOB is a terrorist organization, DHQ declares

    The Defence Headquarters has announced that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is a “militant terrorist organisation’’ and therefore urged parents to dissuade their wards from joining the group.

    In a statement in Abuja on Friday, Maj.-Gen. John Enenche, the Director, Defence Information (DDI), therefore, restated the commitment of the Armed Forces to confront “all security challenges facing the country.’’

    Enenche also assured of the protection of lives and property in all parts of the country by the military.

    He said that the IPOB posed security challenge and had been metamorphosing from one stage to another.

    “After due professional analysis and recent developments, it has become expedient to notify the general public that the claim by IPOB actors that the organisation is non-violent is not true.

    “Hence, the need to bring to public awareness the true and current state of IPOB.

    “In this regard, some of their actions, clandestinely and actively, that have been terrorising the general public include:

    “The formation of a Biafra Secret Service, claimed formation of Biafra National Guard, unauthorised blocking of public access roads and extortion of money from innocent civilians at illegal roadblocks.

    “Militant possession and use of weapons (stones, Molotov cocktails, machetes and broken bottles, among others) on a military patrol on Sept. 10, 2017.

    “Physical confrontation of troops by Nnamdi Kanu and other IPOB actors at a checkpoint on Sept. 11, 2017 and also attempt to snatch their rifles.

    “Attack by IPOB members on a military checkpoint on Sept. 12, 2017, at Isialangwa, where one IPOB actor attempted to snatch a female soldier’s rifle.’’

    “From the foregoing, the Armed Forces of Nigeria wish to confirm to the general public that IPOB from all intent, plan and purpose as analysed, is a militant terrorist organisation,’’ the DDI said.

  • Boko Haram: DHQ blasts Fayose, dismisses US report on its operations

    Sequel to a report indicting the Nigerian Army of being unable to hold down recaptured territories in the Boko Haram troubled North East, the Defence Headquarters, Abuja, on Thursday dismissed the reports insisting that it captured the situation for 2016 and not as currently obtainable in 2017.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the report, published on July 19, highlights the successes and failings of the Nigerian Army in the fight against Boko Haram terrorists.

    It indicates that the Federal Government’s progress report on the fight against terror is merely a duplication of failed efforts carried over from the end of last year’s fighting season.

    The DHQ further noted that some people, who deliberately misinterpreted the report, wanted to pit the American government against the Nigerian military.

    The Director, Defence Information, Maj. Gen. John Enenche, said this on Thursday in a release. He said the US report was not for January to July 2017 and hence could not be taken as the current security situation.

    The US Department of State Bureau for Counter-Terrorism and Countering Violent Extremism had in the “Country Reports on Terrorism 2016” accused the military of not holding and rebuilding the North-East after clearing the Boko Haram terrorists, adding that security agencies failed to share intelligence reports on the terrorists.

    But Enenche said the work of “holding and rebuilding the North-East” as noted in the US report was not for the military, but for the state governments, paramilitary organisations and other stakeholders.

    He said, “Contrary to the picture given to Nigerians, the report did not cover only Nigeria; it included Niger, Cameroon and Chad. That is, it covered all the countries affected by Boko Haram terrorists’ menace. The report is not being objectively analysed by some mis-informers because of their ulterior motive.

    “The report was for 2016 and not January to July 2017. Hence, attributing the assertion that the military failed to hold and rebuild the North-East to be current is rather wicked and should be disregarded. After the decimation of the terrorists’ strongholds, other security agencies such as the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps have been taking hold of areas cleared by the military.”

    “Furthermore, rebuilding of civilian structures and institutions is not a military task. It is purely the responsibility of government of which a lot is being done. The efforts of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states are evident in this regard. Equally important are the efforts of the Presidential Committee on the North-East Initiative.”

    Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army on Thursday lashed out at the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, over his comments on corruption in the military and the upsurge of the Boko Haram terrorists, urging the governor to seek other avenues for his relevance.

    The Army’s reaction is contained in its official Twitter handle. It alleged that Fayose, who is the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Governors Forum, had politicised security issues and military operations.

    Fayose had on Wednesday in a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said the United States “Country Report on Terrorism 2016” and the Transparency International report revealed corruption in the military.

    Fayose had noted that it confirmed his earlier position that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government lied to Nigerians that the Boko Haram terrorists had been technically defeated.

    “With over 120 Nigerians killed by the Boko Haram insurgents in Borno State last month alone, it is necessary for the Federal Government to face the reality that it has a very long walk to victory in the fight against the insurgents. The report by the US Government has further lent credence to earlier revelation by the TI that despite President Muhammadu Buhari government’s anti-corruption fight, corruption in the military is weakening Nigeria’s efforts to battle Boko Haram,” Fayose had said.

    But the army replied on its official Twitter handle that the governor was seeking relevance.

    “Governor Ayodele Fayose should stop politicising the military and military operations. Seek other avenues for your relevance. The army today is not corrupt,” the Army tweeted.

  • Northern quit notice: Stay where you are, we’ll ensure your safety – DHQ assures Nigerians

    Sequel to the recent tension and agitation in the county, the Defence Headquarters on Friday assured Nigerians that their lives and property are safe and secured wherever they choose to reside in the nation.

    The Director Defence Information Maj.-Gen. John Enenche gave the assurance in a statement.

    Enenche said that this followed “so many requests in the recent past, to know from the military about the safety of Nigerians living in parts of the country, other than their aboriginal habitats.

    “”As such, it behoves on the Defence Headquarters to reassure the general public that all lives and property in Nigeria are secured and safe at any location.

    ““Thus, the Armed Forces of Nigeria are constantly on surveillance, in collaboration with other security agencies, to curb acts capable of distorting the peace,’’ he said.

    The defence spokesman, therefore, urged the general public to “report suspicious movements and any act that point to creating any situation of insecurity to lives and property to the nearest security agency.

    He also urged the public to reach the Nigerian Army Call Centre, short code 193 and email: na.callcentre@army.mil.org, in case of emergency.

    “”The Armed Forces hereby reaffirms its commitment to protecting the lives and property of all Nigerians living in any part of the country.

    “”Therefore, all should go about their normal life wherever they are living without fear or intimidations,’’ Enenche said.

     

  • Navy/Police clash: DHQ raises committee to probe fracas

    The Defence Headquarters has set up a high-powered committee to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the recent clash between personnel of the Nigerian Navy and Police in Calabar.

    The Director, Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. John Enenche on Tuesday, noted in a statement that the committee was mandated to recommend appropriate sanction or sanctions to anyone or group found culpable.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that personnel of the navy and police clashed in Calabar in May during which two policemen and a naval rating were said to have died.

    It was reported that trouble started when police traffic controllers attempted to stop some officers, who allegedly flouted the red light at a point near the Calabar Township.

    “This is aimed at checkmating and subsequently eliminating such incidents in the future, to enhance relationship between the military and other security and response agencies in Nigeria.

    “The Defence Headquarters hereby appeal to members of security and response agencies to embrace espirit de corps in the course of carrying out their duties and have mutual respect and understanding for each other,’’ Enecnhe said.

     

     

    NAN