The Nigeria Army says it has recovered the corpses of all Military personnel who lost their lives in the recent ISWAP attack on three military bases in Borno state.
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While the Nigeria Army insist 44 soldiers were killed, foreign military sources put the death toll at more than 100, a figure the Nigerian military say is fake news.
The Boko haram faction that carried out the attacks, the Islamic state West Africa Province (ISWAP) also released a statement saying it killed 118 soldiers in the attacks.
The army stated via its twitter handle on Tuesday that it had evacuated the corpses asking the public to disregard reports that the bodies were left rotting at the scene of the attacks.
According to the Army;
“For the avoidance of doubt, immediately after the attack, reinforcement was sent to the location. Thereafter, a special search and rescue team led by a senior military officer was constituted and equally dispatched.
The team worked tirelessly, searching all the nooks and crannies of the general area and have evacuated all the gallant troops that paid the supreme price in defence of their fatherland.”
the army however said it was regrettable that some media houses have discarded the ethics of their noble profession through the hasty publication of unverified information.
It, however, urged media practitioners to ensure correct and balanced reportage, especially when reporting issues regarding military operations.
It added;
“All print and electronic (online) newspapers, as well as social media forums and blogs, are advised to double-check their information before publishing.
This is because publishing false, sensational news is inimical to national security and could also cause panic, bitterness and disunity among the citizenry.”
It took anger and outcry from the Nigerian public before the Nigerian government and its military confirmed the attacks on troops.
The news about the attacks had been broken on foreign media, leading many Nigerians to conclude there was a media blackout regarding the insurgency in the North-east.