The Nigerian Army has accused the US-based Sahara Reporters of having “committed itself to support for terrorism and fighting Nigeria, its people, its military and particularly the Nigerian Army.”

The army was reacting to a publication on the website of Sahara Reporters with the caption “Nigerian Army Presents Unverified “Lt Col” To Refute Petition Against Military Hierarchy”.

In a statement entitled THE ONLINE CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE HIERARCHY OF THE NIGERIAN ARMY published last night on the official website of the Nigerian military, Director, Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Olajide Laleye, said: “Sahara Reporters has strived hard to present itself as a propaganda medium for terrorism and Boko Haram in particular.”

According to Brig.-Gen. Olajide Laleye, “Before Sahara Reporters published their purported document described as petition from Lt Col Wende, a serving Commanding Officer, the Nigerian Army conducted a thorough investigation on the document involving other security and intelligence agencies. The process confirmed that the serving officer was not the author of the petition. Yesterday, the officer dissociated himself from the so-called petition in a press conference he personally attended. While reputable media organisations were on hand to engage the officer, Sahara Reporters being a faceless medium, preferred to remain faceless and was not represented. Sahara Reporters sadly, but predictably, and in fulfilment of its support for terrorism published in its website a fabrication in which it referred to the officer as “unverified”. How absurd!

“Sahara Reporters has strived hard to present itself as a propaganda medium for terrorism and Boko Haram in particular. It is with this in mind, that the Nigerian Army conducted a press conference in Maiduguri in which the officer who appeared for the press conference is Lt Col Wende, a serving officer of the Nigerian Army. Since the officer has clearly dissociated himself from the document, it makes sense that the so-called petition is the handiwork of Sahara Reporters. With time, terrorism in Nigeria and Sahara Reporters will be defeated by the collective will of the good people of Nigeria.”