Chad, Niger troops in charge of Damasak, Nigerian military explains
(Nigeria) Chadian and Nigerien troops are in charge of
security and protection of the border town of Damasak in Borno State according
to dictates of the memorandum of understanding, MoU, establishing the
Multinational Joint Task Force, MJTF, against terrorism in Nigeria’s north
east, a military source said on Wednesday.
This is as Nigerian Defence Headquarters announced the
restraining of two unaccredited Al Jazeera journalists to their hotel rooms
after they were found loitering around operational areas of the north east.
It was gathered that the clarification became necessary in
view of a trending speculation in major international media that another 400
children and women were kidnapped and led away by Boko Haram terrorists while
fleeing from Damasak recently liberated by Chadian and Nigerien troops.
A military personnel who spoke on the development, wondered
how fleeing terrorists who were pounded by Nigerian Air Force aircraft before
being overwhelmed by forces from the two MJTF participating troops would pack
over 400 individuals along with them in the process.
“Although we are not officially responding to such baseless
assertions because it has become normal for some interests to manufacture
something so that their media will have something negative to report about
Nigeria. It is nevertheless important to let them know that troops from Niger
and Chad have been in charge of protecting that town and we wonder how they
would have allowed Boko Haram the luxury of such mass kidnapping?
“Were the abducted individuals herded away on foot or packed
in trailers or small trucks?” the source wondered.
Meanwhile, two journalists working for Aljazeera Television
who were found to have been loitering around restricted areas where military
operations are ongoing in the North East have been restrained in Maiduguri.
In a statement published on defenceinfo.mil.ng, the Defence
Headquarters, said that “the journalists, Ahmed Idris and Mustafa Andy who were
noted to have been moving around various locations including restricted areas
in Yobe and Borno State were also operating without any protection, accreditation
or due clearance.
They were accordingly monitored by military intelligence
operatives until they eventually had to be restrained to their hotel in
Maiduguri. This followed the increasing suspicion that their activities were
aimed at interfering with the ongoing military operations in the area.
The motive, activities and some material in possession of
these individuals are being investigated.
It will be recalled that foreign journalists have earlier
been cautioned against unauthorised and unprotected movements around the
military operations area. This warning is hereby reiterated until formally
reversed or lifted. Appropriate arrangements will however continue to be made
to assist duly cleared journalists to cover activities in the mission area
within the limits of adequate safety, security and necessary procedures.
The Nigerian military which believe in the press freedom is
more concerned about safety of journalists operating in Nigeria and would
endeavour to avoid unnecessary controversy in other climes especially when some
Al Jazeera journalists were tried and jailed in Egypt for aiding terrorism
during the turbulent days of Islamic Brotherhood’s reign in the country.
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