Saturday, faulted international news channel, Al-Jazeera’s report on the
current state of emergency in three north eastern states, where the medium
claimed that it uncovered high civilian casualties arising from military
operation against Boko Haram insurgents.
A
statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and
Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, expressed grave concern over what it called the
attempt by a section of the media, especially foreign, to mislead the general public
and the international community on the ongoing operation against the insurgents.
The
statement explained that, “for the avoidance of doubt, the declaration of a
state of emergency and the consequential security operations are meant to
protect the civilian population and the territory from the macabre and
dastardly assault on the Nigerian state by insurgents and terrorists.
“It is
not an operation against innocent citizens as Al-Jazeera and others are
suggesting.”
It
pointed out that “in executing this sovereign objective, President Jonathan
explicitly directed that the operations be conducted in line with applicable
rules of engagement and peculiar care in managing a unique situation.”
The
statement recalled that in an earlier statement, the president had also made it
clear to the military high command and received assurances that those who
violated their operational orders would be disciplined accordingly.
It
noted that it was in line with this regard for the rights of the civilian
population that President Jonathan ordered the release of women and under-aged
persons in custody, and made arrangements for their immediate
rehabilitation.
Noting
that 58 persons in this category have already been released, the Presidency
stressed that the Armed Forces had also secured the release of six women and
children in Boko Haram captivity.
According
to it, “there is nothing to suggest so far any violation of operational orders
by the troops operating in the North East. Their intervention has received
popular support, among the civilian populace, and within two weeks of
operation, the possibility of calm and normalcy resonates even as enclaves of
terrorists are raided and their capacity to continue their reign of terror
heavily compromised.
“This
is a process and the government owes it to the people of the North-East to see
it through.”
The
statement assured that the Jonathan administration believed that media reporting
of the reality of living in a state of emergency was needed to keep the local
and international community well informed and to hold accountable those
prosecuting the military operation to help build trust and sustain the public
support needed to build lasting peace.
However,
it said: “Rather curiously however, the last two weeks have witnessed
mischievous attempts by a section of the media to generate negative propaganda
around these operations in the North East. Most recently, a video report by
Al-Jazeera yesterday titled “Civilians among dead in Nigeria offensive” (May
31) sought to put the government and the people of Nigeria in bad light. This
is regrettable.
“While
we welcome an open interrogation of government’s activities, we reject any
attempt to exploit the security situation in the North East to malign,
discredit or otherwise undermine the country’s efforts by other surreptitious
means. There can be no doubt that the Al Jazeera report of May 31 is in very
bad taste.
“Two
quick points will highlight the concerns here: (1) the video is that of the
unfortunate incident that occurred in Bama on May 7 and has no connection with
the current operation. If anything, the victims shown in the video were those
the Boko Haram attacked before they launched an offensive on the Bama prison
(2) the claim that the man in uniform shown in the video is a Nigerian soldier
cannot be sustained, because in a war-like theater as we have on our hands,
anybody could have been clad in a military fatigue; and we have seen Boko Haram
members appear in military fatigues in their propaganda videos. Besides,
no soldier has left the frontlines since the beginning of the operations.
Surely, this type of reporting on a serious national security issue is
irresponsible and should be deplored by all.”
The
statement reaffirmed the Government of Nigeria’s commitment to and belief in
the professionalism of the Nigerian Military, “an institution that has served
with distinction on many occasions across the region and outside.”
It deplored
the effort to encourage terrorists through unverified and inaccurate reporting,
and the desperation to blackmail the current peace and security process.
