The Rebirth Coalition, a Civil Society Group, has accused enemies of the state of attempts to weaken the ongoing military operations by spreading fake news and propaganda to achieve their evil agenda.
The Convener of the Coalition, Mr Oladapo Bolaji and Secretary, Hassan Danladi, stated this in a statement on Thursday, in Abuja.
They said the growing security challenge in the country required a whole of society approach to stemming the tide.
The coalition said that the criminals disturbing the country had resorted to propaganda to demoralise troops of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and instill fear in the minds of the populace.
They also appealed to the media to support the military through their reportage, saying the security challenges would not single out any individual.
According the group, such propaganda include the recent reports alleging that soldiers were caught sharing ransom money with kidnappers.
“In another rumour, a voice note purportedly from an unknown soldier was dished out.
“This is among several rumours emanating from the camp of the enemy but they will ultimately fail as Nigerians will not fall for their antics.
“If any of such incidents took place, the military from our observation know how to handle them,” they said.
The group said they took it upon themselves to do critical analysis of the security situation and found out that the enemies were bent on instilling fear in the minds of the citizens to cause havoc.
They said the group suspected that the enemies might also be alarmed at the recent commendation from the EU for the Nigerian military.
According to them, these issues are not unexpected in a crisis situation, but it should not be blown out of proportion.
“The enemies of the country will never win the war as long as the people are united.
“In the North East, every day, our assessment of ongoing military operations shows massive surrendering by terrorists and bombardments of those that refuse to surrender.
“We are gradually seeing the return of the Chibok girls. This is a result of intense military operations by our troops.
“We, particularly enjoin the media not to give space to our collective enemies.
“A society approach is what we need. Our troops continue to sacrifice their lives, what they need from us is prayers and support,” the Coalition added. (NAN)
