Rumour Mongers Are Undermining War On Terror-: Huriwa Alleges:
The foremost Civil Rights Advocacy group HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has alleged that saboteurs are out to undermine the current fastracked and surgical counter terror war being waged by the Nigerian Defence institutions by spreading unsubstantiated and wicked rumours that the Theatre commander of the war on terror Major General OG Adeniyi was transferred out as a punishment for openly criticising the lack of fighting weapons in the hands of soldiers waging the determined battles against terrorists in the NorthEast of Nigeria. HURIWA wondered why routine and regular exercise of the powers and authority bestowed by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on his professionally competent Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai is now being viewed with the poisoned binoculars of typical Nigerian partosan politics.
HURIWA however thinks that the most dangerous thing for any Nigerian to do now is to try to spread fake PROPAGANDA by any means and to circulate discouraging and indeed outright falsehoods in an attempt to sabotage the works of either the Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai or the military institutions as a whole at these crucial times of our nation's trajectory and experiences with the axis of evil and forces of terror determined to undermine the corporate territorial integrity of our nation.
The Rights group said Nigerians should applaud the recently manifestes tendencies of partnership and collaboration for good by the different segments of the Armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which culminated in the setting up a joint media briefing team made up of reoresentatives of all the various arms of the Armed security services so as to mainstream professional excellence in information management and dissemination.
"We are often taken aback when we see Nigerians who are otherwise vastly educated and well travelled begin to manufacture and plant falsehoods and totally destructive informations against our brave soldiers and their hard working commanders who are in the frontlines of the battles for the soul of Nigeria and to save our lives from unwarranted terrorists attacks by boko haram and other Islamic state affiliates. What joy can a citizen of Nigeria derive by running down the military institution just because the PERSON or person or their paymasters are seeking the ouster of the current service chiefs? We are by this media intervention speaking not for the Nigerian Army but we are speaking as patriots and appealing to Nigerians to support the war on terror which is winnable within the shortest possible timeframe but only with our collective endorsements, motivations and supports of our heroic fighters who are making the supreme sacrifices to keep Nigerians safe and to preserve the integrity of our sovereign territory. Can we borrow from a slogan that was popularised when Buhari and Idiagbon headed the military administration as it then was in the mid 80's which goes thus ‘we have no other country to call our own'. So it is the legal obligation and an ethical mandate of all patriotic citizens to support the military. The postings that are made in the military are only routine and not punitive or are they politically instigated. This is not the first and may not be the last because the military is constantly on the move in their efforts to serve us better as professional soldiers. The Army is a dynamic institution".
HURIWA reminded Nigerians that the hierarchy of the Nigerian Army has consistently informed Nigerians of any of such postings just as the Nigerian Army in the same vein had earlier issued a media statement disclosing the rationale behind the massive Redeployment made in the Nigerian Army and informed the citizens that the hierarchy of the Nigerian Army had Approved New Postings, Appointments of Officers In the rekindle spirit of professionalism, the Nigerian Army has released the postings and appointments of some affected senior officers just as all the postings were fully disclosed in line with the extant freedom of information Act of 2015.
HURIWA recalled that the public statement disclosed that the posting which was approved by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt Gen TY Buratai is a routine/normal exercise intended to reinvigorate the system for greater professional effectiveness and efficiency and further informed Nigerians that the major highlight of the posting includes – the posting and appointment of Maj Gen ACC Agundu from Special Task Force (STF) Operation SAFE HAVEN Jos to Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC) Abuja as Senior Research Fellow, Major General HI Bature from Defence Headquarters (DHQ) Defence Liaison Office National Assembly Abuja to Army Headquarters Department of Civil Military Affairs and appointed Chief of Civil-Military Affairs, Maj Gen UM Mohammed from Nigerian Army Property Limited (NAPL) to the Office of the Chief of Army Staff and appointed Special Adviser Nigerian Army University Biu/Deputy Chairman Board of Trustees NAPL, while the erstwhile Special Adviser Nigerian Army University Biu Maj Gen CC Okonkwo now redeployed to STF Operation SAFE HAVEN Jos and appointed Commander, Maj Gen F Yahaya from Headquarters 1 Division Kaduna to Headquarters Theatre Command Operation LAFIYA DOLE (OPLD) Maiduguri and appointed Commander, while Maj Gen OG Adeniyi is redeployed from Headquarters Theatre Command OPLD Maiduguri to NARC as Senior Research Fellow, Maj Gen S Idris from Sector 2 OPLD Damaturu- Yobe State redeployed to DHQ Abuja and appointed Director Liaison.
HURIWA has therefore solicited the active citizenship ownership of the process and the need to give top quality support for the war on tertor just as the Rights group appealed to the hierarchy of the Nigerian Army never to toy with the welfare of the combatants and to endeavour to maintain the tempo of motivational projects and policies of the current Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai..