The Defence Headquarters has described as “misleading” a viral video purportedly depicting soldiers mistreating women in Plateau State.
The video is currently causing tensions as the nation mourns the killing of no fewer than 148 persons by “bandits” in Bokkos and Barkin Ladi local government areas of the state.
In a Saturday statement, Acting Director of Defence information, Brig.-Gen. Tukur Gusau disclosed that the video wrongly captioned “Operation Rainbow in Plateau State” actually originated from an incident that took place in Sambisa Forest in 2021.
Gusau said that the incident captured in the video involved the spouses of Boko Haram members during the capture of strong holds of the Boko Haram insurgents and not in Plateau State as falsely claimed.
“DHQ wishes to clarify that the soldiers involved in the aforementioned incident were then promptly sanctioned and dealt with by the military authority at the time it occurred for their unprofessional conduct.
“The dissemination of this old video, with a misleading location tag, is causing unnecessary alarm and has the potential to exacerbate the security situation on the Plateau,” the statement read in part.
The DHQ urged the individual responsible for recirculating the video to cease and desist from further dissemination, as their actions are only serving to add fuel to the security challenges currently being addressed by Operation SAFE HAVEN.
“Our forces are actively engaged in aggressive operations and are dedicated to bringing the perpetrators of recent dastardly acts to justice.
“DHQ remains committed to fostering peace and stability in Plateau State and we call on all stakeholders and members of the public to support our efforts by refraining from spreading misinformation that could undermine our collective goal of ensuring the safety and well-being of all residents,” the statement further read.