Nigeria’s Minister of Information and culture, Lai Mohammed, has advised the media to desist from giving oxygen to terrorists by giving them headlines in their stories.
The Minister made the call while briefing State House Correspondents at the end of Wednesday’s cabinet meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Mohammed, who confirmed Tuesday’s attack on a military base in Kaduna, also said the attack was well repelled by the military but was, unfortunately not reported.
“Yes, there was an attack on a military base in Kaduna State but what was not reported was the very timely and efficient manner it was repelled, and the huge casualty suffered by the bandits/terrorists.
“I also have a video of the area interdiction by the military. I keep saying that this is an asymmetrical war in which we are not at liberty only to tell you how in detail, how the camps of the bandits are being decimated daily.
“It is a war of attrition, but our military is living to the billing, our military is working day and night to ensure that the terrorists are neutralized. We will continue to give information on the progress we are making in our fight against terrorism but we can assure you that we are on top of this matter.
“In any country in the world, where you are fighting terrorists, the oxygen they need is what is being provided daily today; which are they want to occupy the front page of every paper.
“They want to carry out spectacular attacks even when they are down and this is where we also seek the support of the media in understanding the mentality of terrorists because even when they are dying, they will look for a soft underbelly that will keep them relevant and enable them to get more money and support from their sponsors.”
The information Minister further disclosed in the last three to five days, the Nigerian military has recorded massive victories against terrorists and bandits in the North-East, as well as the Kaduna and Niger axis of the country.
PIAK
