Nigerian Army debunks video clip portraying capture of armoured vehicle

The Nigerian Army has debunked what it termed as a false, unsubstantiated and an apparently fabricated viral video clip circulating on the social media portraying the capture of its armoured vehicle.

A statement by the Director Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu said the viral video portrays a stage managed capture of Nigerian Army Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) by Turji Bello, one of the infamous terrorist’s leader in North West Nigeria.

The Army Headquarters emphatically stated that “there was no such incident that involved the capture of any of its APCs within the theatre of operations in the North West, as mischievously and falsely portrayed in the video”.

The statement further said the analysis of the video clip reveals that the video was doctored, as NA vehicles including APCs have NA inscribed on the number plates, which is conspicuously missing on the reportedly captured APC in the video.

Additionally, on the Nigerian Army record, the entire events captured in the footage was not an occurrence that took place at any point in time within the shores of Nigeria, but available data pointed that the event occurred in Burkina Faso some time in 2021.

Further investigation showed that the same video was posted on Facebook on 9 November 2021 with the below URL https://web.facebook.com/watch/?v=1544154362616622.

The Nigerian Army says it is committed to maintaining a high level of vigilance and professionalism in safeguarding its own armoured vehicles by ensuring that they are not compromised by any criminal element.

It therefore urges the public to be wary of misinformation and propaganda employed by the insurgents, aimed at spreading fear and disrupting the peace and security of the nation.

The NA equally said it remains committed to protecting the lives and property of our citizens and will continue to work tirelessly to maintain peace and stability across the country. And it will continue to provide updates on its operations and activities through official channels to ensure accurate and reliable information reaches the public.