'No LG, territory under Boko Haram control,' Army Chief says

dimeji akinloye

September 24, 2016 6:00 PM

The army chief, who said the military has routed the insurgents and is currently securing the region, noted that terrorism was complex and calls for patience.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen.

Buratai spoke on Saturday, September 24, while responding to questions at a special congress of the FCT Council of the NUJ.

The army chief, who said the military has routed the insurgents and is currently securing the region, noted that terrorism is complex and calls for patience.

Buratai also calls on journalists to show understanding in reporting the insurgency for the sake of national interest.

He recalled that there was mistrust in the past between the media and the army and assured of seamless flow of information as long as it does not affect national security.

Earlier, the Chairman of the FCT Council of the NUJ, Mr Paul Abechi, calls for understanding between the military and the media in the interest of the nation.

Abechi said that while Nigerians depend on the military for safety, they also depend on the media for information, urging both parties to work together.

He noted the successes so far recorded in the fight against insurgency in the North East Zone and commended Buratai for providing the required leadership in the campaign.

In his remarks, the National President of NUJ, Mr Waheed Odusile, stressed the need for the army to provide journalists with needed information to enable them report correctly.

Odusile noted with satisfaction that normalcy is returning to Borno and other parts of the North East Zone and commended the leadership of the army.

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He said that the occasional conflict between the military and journalists often arise out of the different roles each party plays for the well being of the society.

The NUJ president described the Nigerian media as patriotic, saying that the media only criticise the military to make it to perform better.

dimeji akinloye