September 02, (THEWILL) – The two MRAPS (Mines Resistant Armored Personnel Carriers) displayed by terrorists in a video in Zamfara state were demobilised by troops after they got stuck in the swamp during a fighting operation to ensure the terrorists don’t make use of them, the Defence headquarters has clarified.
Major General Edward Buba, Director of Defence Media Operations, who disclosed this in a statement on Monday, also debunked a viral video purportedly showing the mass killing of 150 persons recently kidnapped in Sokoto State over alleged inability to pay ransom for their freedom.
The statement reads: “On 29 Aug 24, at about 1700hrs, troops of OP Hadarin Daji deployed at FOB Zurmi in Zurmi LGA of Zamfara State, embarked on fighting patrol to dislodge terror gathering at Kwashabawa Village.
“Troops engaged the terrorists en route to the location. During the fight, while attempting to outflank the terrorist. 2 Quantity of troops MRAPs got bogged down due to the swampy terrain occasioned by the rainy season.
“While troops tried to extricate the MRAPs, the terrorists massed up, knowing the challenge troops had encountered with the MRAPs. Subsequently, troops dismounted and demobilised the MRAPs when efforts to backload them were futile.
“The sad demobilisation of the MRAPs by troops was to prevent it from being useful to the terrorists after abandonment. These situations further illustrate the effect of weather in changing conditions for ground operations.
“The attention of DHQ has been drawn to a trending video propagated from the terrorist camp.
“The video depicted the killing of several civilians in a mass grave. It must be noted that the incident never took place in Nigeria. Rather, it sadly took place in a nearby African country faced with terrorism. The terrorists, in an act of desperation, tried to manipulate the situation to mislead gullible members of the public.
“The armed forces unequivocally state that at no time were 150 persons abducted in Gobir (Sokoto State). The rumoured abduction was deliberately planted by the terrorists to undermine troops’ winning efforts and cover up terrorist weakness.
“On the whole, the public is urged to be circumspect of the antics of the terrorist to propagate misinformation, disinformation and fake news as part of their war propaganda effort. These situations are not uncommon in war. The dynamic and ever-changing environment of war creates some of these experiences.
“Nevertheless, troops retain operational flexibility to make adjustments in achieving the strategic objective of winning the war.”
