The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede says the Army will hunt down and bring to justice those behind the recent killings in Benue and other states in the North-Central.
Oluyede gave the assurance at a media chat organised by the Nigerian Army held in Akure on Saturday.
The media chat was themed “military – Media Collaboration: Panacea for Enhanced National Security and Development.”
Oluyede, who was represented by the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Obinna Onubogu, assured that military would hunt down and apprehend those behind the dastardly killings in Benue State.
“We shall go after them, and by God’s grace, we will get them,” the Chief of Army Staff said while condemning the attacks which left hundreds of people dead, many others severely injured, and property destroyed.
He reiterated that the military is fully committed to ending the spate of violence and will not allow Nigeria’s territorial integrity or internal security to be compromised by criminal elements.
“The Nigerian Army has remained engaged in Plateau, in Benue, in Kwara — in quite a number of states that are experiencing insecurity.
“In Benue particularly, you will see, in the coming weeks, very elaborate security arrangements to ensure that all that is going on there completely stops.
“We are mindful that some of these people may be foreign elements. The behavior we are seeing is utterly despicable, the way they go about their work. It does not reflect any kind of national identity or value system,” Oluyede stated.
The COAS emphasized that the military has received matching order from President Bola Tinubu to act decisively.
He urged communities and local stakeholders to support military operations by sharing timely intelligence:
“The Army cannot be everywhere at once.
“Nigeria is a vast country, and we are not as large in number as many people believe. We rely heavily on the support and cooperation of the local population to provide timely and credible information.
“In some cases, unfortunately, the people are not very helpful in terms of the information they give out, which delays our reaction time. That must change if we are to win this fight together,” he said.
Speaking on misinformation and sensational reporting, Oluyede urged media professionals to verify facts before publication and help in building national unity.
Said he: “The social media space, especially, is flooded with misinformation, disinformation, and outright lies. That is part of why we are here — to clarify issues and appeal to the press to reach out to us before putting out unverified stories.
“We are satisfied with the support we’ve received from the media so far, and we hope to deepen that synergy to ensure national security is not undermined by sensational reporting.
“The Army performs about 20 to 30 percent of what’s required. The rest involves civil cooperation, intelligence, and addressing the root causes of these conflicts.
“Whatever it takes, we shall ensure that these activities — particularly in North-Central Nigeria — are brought to a stop. We are on ground, and we will continue until peace is fully restored.”
