The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) have debunked reports of fresh attacks in Tse and Shong villages in Plateau.
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin, made this clarification in Abuja on Wednesday when he briefed newsmen on the current security situation in Plateau.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that there were media reports of renewed violence in the State on Tuesday which allegedly claimed 140 lives
Petinrin said the attention of the DHQ had been drawn to reports in some sections of the media that there were fresh attacks in these villages days after the previous one at the weekend.
The CDS, who was represented by Rear Adm. Dele Ezeoba, Chief of Administration at the DHQ, said: “The defence headquarters wishes to use this opportunity to empathically and categorically debunk the said report in its entirety.
“It assures Nigerians that there was no such attack as claimed by the report.
“The Special Task Force in Plateau State has been able to restore normalcy to the state despite the recent incident which is highly regrettable.’’
Petinrin assured Nigerians that the security problem in the country was seriously being addressed by the Nigerian Armed Forces in collaboration with other security agencies.
He said the effectiveness of national security planning would require the support of all Nigerians and most importantly the media in the fight against terror.
The CDS said the media must ensure that their reportage was devoid of sensationalism and should rather be guided by accuracy of events.
He said whenever the media were in doubt; they should seek clarification from the appropriate authority.
“We appreciate the indispensable role of the media in the task of nation building.’’
He advised media professionals to be professional and patriotic while reporting defence and security related matters to serve the best interest of Nigeria.
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