The
Nigerian military has debunked the report that suspected Boko Haram gunmen have
kidnapped 40 boys and young men in a remote village in northeast Nigerian Borno
state on New Year's eve, residents who
fled the isolated settlement said on Saturday.
Even
though efforts to reach the Director of Defence Information (DDI) Maj-Gen.
Chris Olukolade to speak on the matter proved abortive, an authoritative
military source dismissed the report as a foreign media propaganda with their
local conspirators.
The
top official raised doubts over the reports, saying that there was a similar
story few weeks ago quoting figures of men and women that were kidnapped but
could not be substantiated.
According
to the military authorities, those rumours of kidnaps are meant to create
panic, sustain the atmosphere of insecurity in the North East and ultimately
ridicule the nation's armed forces, adding that it "should be scrutinized
and not swallowed hook, line and sinker since they have their agenda".
The
source said: "Is this not one of those foreign propaganda they are
spreading with their local conspirators. It is one of those phony stories being
spread by the locals giving conflicting figures and alarms that are not true.
"The
other time they said its about 150 being kidnapped and were they able to
justify it? No. They are just trying to be alarmist and that is why the
military will keep them guessing".
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