COVID-19: Nigerian military dismisses viral torture video on social media

- The Nigerian military says a video currently circulating on social media showing its personnel punishing some people happened in 2012 and 2013

- The videos had been re-circulated recently suggesting it was due to the coronavirus stay-at-home order

- A military spokesman says the videos are misleading and are not related to the present military engagement of the Armed Forces of Nigeria

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has dismissed videos currently circulating on social media of soldiers torturing civilians.

Those who circulated the videos had suggested that the civilians were being punished for violating the presidential directive to stay at home over the coronavirus pandemic.

The DHQ in a statement sent to journalists and signed by the coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Major-General John Enenche, said the move is a calculated attempt to blackmail the military.

He stated that the videos are misleading and are not related to the present military engagement of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

“The Armed Forces of Nigeria wishes to state that the videos were old clips of past incidents that took place in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

“The clips are being used by some mischievous elements to tarnish the image of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

“Those videos are misleading, as they are not related to the present military engagement of the Armed Forces of Nigeria towards the lockdown on COVID-19,” part of the statement read.

“Members of the public are hereby advised to disregard those videos. It is the handwork of false news propagators. The Armed Forces of Nigeria remains undaunted and would not be distracted,” the statement added.

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Meanwhile, Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Tuesday, March 31 commended Lagosians for compliance on the first day of the stay-at-home directive.

The governor said the compliance indicates that Lagosians understand the enormity of the coronavirus pandemic.

He reminded residents of the state that the lockdown directive is a strategy to avoid community spread of the virus.

In a related development, an Islamic cleric in Jos, the Plateau state capital, Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingri, has been quizzed by the police for violating the order against social gathering on Friday, March 27.

The cleric who is the leader of Jamatu Izalatu Bida Wa Ikamat Sunnah (JIBWIS), on the said day, organised a Juma’at prayer.

He was also seen in a viral video on social media, saying no one or nothing can stop him from gathering his followers to pray.

The cleric was warned by the police to stop violating orders that were given by the government.

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