DHQ: NIGERIAN MILITARY DOES NOT USE MERCENARIES

The Nigerian Defence Headquarters has refuted claims in the media that foreign mercenaries are presently being engaged by the Nigerian Armed Forces in the anti-terror campaign against Boko Haram.

In a terse statement by the Director of Defence Information, Colonel Rabe Abubakar released on Friday, he  categorically denied the reports, describing them as cheap blackmail.

In his word, "The attention of the military high command has been drawn to the insinuation by some section of the media that the military has resorted to using mercenaries in the ongoing counterinsurgency operation in the North East. The insinuation and the entire story are utterly scurrilous and a calculated attempt to smear the good image of the Nigerian military"

"The orchestrated campaign is aimed at rubbishing the efforts of the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies who are working hard to contain the insurgents in the North East. To this end, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) wishes to state that the military has enough trained soldiers to fight the terrorists in the North East without resorting to the use of mercenaries", he continued.

  

Going further, he asserted that  the military had significantly up-scaled its troops and equipment deployment since the Presidential mandate and did not need mercenaries whether foreign or local to rout out and put an effective end to guerrilla movements in the North East within the allotted time frame.

Colonel Abubakar  further described  the reports as the work of disgruntled elements in the society when he said, "Since the Presidential order, the military has been fighting the insurgents more and more effectively and all Nigerians, irrespective of where they live, have come to understand that we are making progress. The DHQ therefore wishes to state that the report is a covert campaign of blackmail by disgruntled elements in society designed to pit the Nigerian people against their armed forces".

" These blackmailers are not only unhappy because of the progress the military is making in the fight but more so because their illicit gains in the war has been effectively stopped"

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