Military Faults Reports On 150 Killing By Boko Haram In Yobe

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines Wednesday, August 19th, 2015

By Niyi Adeyi – The Nigerian Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has described as untrue, “utterly scurrilous and very misleading”, the report that over 150 people from Kukuwa-Gari village were shot dead by Boko Haram gunmen in Yobe State, while many others fleeing from the gunmen drowned in Yobe River in the mid-afternoon yesterday.

The Military Wednesday clarified the truth of the matter was that the Defence got an intelligence report, concerning a planned attack by Boko Haram on the village, adding that following the tip-off, troops and civilian JTF laid ambush between Kukuwatashi and Kukuwa-Gari villages.

Consequently, the insurgents according to Defence, ran into them and a gun-battle ensued in which four Boko Haram members and one civilian JTF lost their lives.

“At the end of the encounter, 2 x AK 47 rifles and 2 x motorcycles used by the Boko Haram terrorists were recovered from them” the Military confirmed in its post Wednesday afternoon.

In the meantime, the Armed Forces has implored the media to always seek clarification of stories before going to press as most of the “unsubstantiated reports tend to embolden or encourage the terrorists to believe they are invincible, thus instilling perpetual fear in the minds of the citizens, especially, those in the contested areas of the North East”.

It stressed it was doing all within its power to protect lives and property of Nigerians in any part of the country and hence, solicited cooperation and understanding of the media to be partners in progress in this noble task.