Military Debunks Claims Of 150 Kidnappings In Sokoto, Armored Vehicle Hijacking In Zamfara

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has dismissed recent claims that bandits in Zamfara State hijacked two armored vehicles and that over 150 civilians were kidnapped in Sokoto State.

The DHQ also refuted allegations of mass civilian deaths and burials by terrorists, calling the videos circulating these claims over the weekend fake.

Naija News reports that the first video purportedly showed bandits celebrating after allegedly capturing two armored vehicles from military troops in Zamfara.

Another video depicted terrorists conducting a mass burial, while a third claimed that over 150 residents had been kidnapped in Sokoto State.

On Monday, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, issued a statement debunking these videos as fabrications.

He clarified that the armored vehicles shown in the Zamfara video had become stuck due to the swampy terrain in Kwashabawa Village, where troops were engaged in a counter-terrorism operation.

The vehicles were deliberately demobilized by the soldiers to prevent them from falling into terrorist hands.

Buba said, “On August 29, 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. Quantity 2 of troops MRAPs got bogged down due to the swampy terrain occasioned by the rain. 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 demobilization 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.”

Buba further clarified that the video showing a mass burial of civilians did not occur in Nigeria but in another African country that is also battling terrorism.

He emphasized that the footage had been misrepresented to create fear and confusion.

Regarding the alleged kidnapping of 150 people in Sokoto, Buba stated that this claim was entirely fabricated by terrorists in an attempt to tarnish the military’s recent successes in the region.

He said, “In a related development, 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 terrorist, 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 terrorist to undermine troops’ winning efforts and cover up terrorist weakness.”

The DHQ urged the public to remain vigilant and not to be swayed by terrorist propaganda, which often includes misinformation and fake news as part of their psychological warfare tactics.

He said, “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.”