Army Decries IPOB for Circulating Gory Images of Corpses for Misinformation

The Nigerian Army has observed with dismay that various social media platforms, of recent, have been inundated with gory images and horrific videos of few recycled corpses dumped at roadsides and refuse sites in Obingwa- Asa - Aba axis of Abia State and other targeted areas in the South East zone.

Members of the proscribed Indegeneous People of Biafra (IPOB) have been alleged to be behind the violence-inciting posts on Facebook and other sites, apparently to create panic and tension among the general public in their ill motive towards free, fair and credible 2019 general elections.

The illegal group is using the gory images for falsehood and hate speech to also portray the Nigerian Army and other security agencies in bad light, especially in the South-East and truncate the successes of Exercise EGWU EKE 111.

The posting and circulation of the disgusting videos and pictures is a wicked plot and deliberate campaign targeted at smearing the reputation of the military and other security agencies.

The intention of the peddlers of those images is to insinuate that the bodies were victims of security clamped down in some parts of the country, especially in the South-East.

Some of the images and videos analyzed by the intelligence services show that most of the corpses were suspected to be victims of road accidents, jungle justice and/ or ritual killers.

None of the images or videos could be attributed to any military operation, as there were no footages to indicate so. While the NA will ensure the peddlers of such fake news and hate speech that could create insecurity in the country are nabbed for prosecutions, the public are urged to ignore such wicked and sickening propaganda to hoodwink the citizens.

NA finds it necessary to call on relevant authorities, most especially Health and Emergency agencies at the state and local government levels to be proactive in ensure adequate evacuation of corpses of victims of road accidents, ritual killings and jungle justice in some communities.

It is also of security concerns the dumping of abandoned corpses of loved ones in unorthodox mortuaries are becoming worrisome. It is also disheartening the increasing number of unclaimed corpses in some mortuaries, who are also suspected of dumping some of the bodies in dump sites and waterways which relevant authorities need to focus on.

SAGIR MUSA
Colonel
Acting Director Army Public Relations