The Nigeria Army has advised Nigerians to disregard a purported statement from the National Orientation Agency (NOA) claiming that Boko Haram insurgents are planning a bomb attack on the south west geo-political zone of the country.
It will be recalled that a statement credited to the Ekiti State Director of the NOA, Mr. Dayo Famosaya, which emanated on Thursday, stated that: “They (Boko Haram) have threatened to deploy cluster bombs in the zone (South West). These cluster bombs are usually housed in discarded metallic materials such as cans of beverages and soft drinks.
“The bombs may be concealed in bags and for it to have more grievous effect, they have planned to deploy these bombs in crowded places such as schools, markets, stadia, churches and mosques.”
However, the Nigeria Army has in a counter-statement refuted the claims contained in Famosaya’s statement.
In a statement on its Facebook page, the Army said: “While concerted efforts are being made by the military and other security agencies to contain the menace of terrorism in the North East with tremendous success, it is disheartening to hear of some unfounded rumours of impending terror attack in western parts of the country.
“Those who seek to spread falsehood in order to cause unnecessary panic among the populace are hereby warned to stop forthwith.
“We want to advise the general public to disregard such rumours and go about their normal businesses. Any suspicious or unusual movement of persons should be reported to security agencies as the military is working round the clock to put an end to terrorism.”