Following the widely publicised news on some national dailies and some online media that the military said it had no knowledge of the release of 21 Chibok girls by the Boko Haram sect, the military has said there is no iota of truth in it.
In a release made available to newsmen on Saturday, the military said it is working in harmony with sister security agencies to ensure the freedom of the remaining girls as well as rid the country totally of the terrorist group. It however said negotiations for the girls’ release solely rests on the shoulders of the politicians and not the military. It read thus:
“The Defence Headquarters attention has been drawn to an online and newspaper publication insinuating that there is a mix feelings among Nigerian military ranks and files as a result of the recent release of some Chibok girls. The military wishes to state unequivocally that the Armed Forces will continue to work closely with all our sister security agencies to achieve more feat in this direction.”
“The military also want to debunk the baseless and unfounded story that there is disquiet in the military over the condition of release of the girls. The Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies are one, working together to finish the war on terror and other criminalities which can be done covertly or overtly. The most important thing is achieving our strategic objective. The DHQ has said before that negotiation with the terrorists or any other group rests purely on our respected political leaders. The military operations to rid our land of terrorists continue.”
“It is important to state that not all information are meant for public consumption due to processes which is purely political. More so, the ongoing military operation is making unprecedented progress with rescue of many captives held by the terrorists. The general public should discountenance with this baseless and misleading story.”
“While the Armed Forces holds the media veritable partner, it urges the media to be mindful and clarify with the military when reporting security and defence issues bothering on sensitive national matters of this nature.”