The Nigerian military and the Federal Government have debunked recent reports that Boko Haram insurgents abducted about 500 women and children from Damask, Borno State.
Speaking via a statement by PR Nigeria, the military denied the claims stating that troops from Niger and Chad, who are in charge of the area recently drove out the sect members.
A military personnel who spoke anonymously questioned the workability of Boko Haram leading over 400 people away, when they were being pounded by Nigeria’s Air Force aircraft, before being decimated on the ground by troops from both aforementioned countries.
He said: “Although we are not officially responding to such baseless assertions because it has become normal for some interests to manufacture something so that their media will have something negative to report about Nigeria.
“It is nevertheless important to let them know that troops from Niger and Chad have been in charge of protecting that town and we wonder how they would have allowed Boko Haram the luxury of such mass kidnapping.
“Were the abducted individuals herded away on foot or packed in trailers or small trucks?”
In similar fashion, the Coordinator of the National Information Centre (NIC), Mike Omeri on Wednesday, March 25, 2015 told new agency, AFP that the claims were false.
Omeri said: “There is no fresh kidnapping in Damasak”
A Senator, whose constituency also covers Damasak, Maina Lawan in reaction to the claims said: “I will be extremely surprised that such a huge number of my constituents would be abducted without me being informed.
“It is very unlikely that Boko Haram would have abducted such a huge number of people from Damasak because most of the people had fled months ago when Boko Haram took over.”