Buratai cautions media against glorifying bandits, kidnappers

• Army kills three terrorists in Lake Chad region
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai has cautioned media practitioners and members of the public against glorifying bandits, armed robbers, kidnappers and ethnic militias in the country.He lamented that the situation has snowballed to the extent that terrorists are now being seen as stronger than the military and other security agencies, adding that criminals and bandits are only as strong as the media and society project them.

Buratai made the assertion yesterday during the COAS First Quarterly Conference and Combat Arms Training Week 2019 in Jaji. He said the excessive publicity and praise singing of bandits and other criminal elements in the media would only motivate them to commit more criminal acts to the detriment of the larger society.

Speaking further, he noted that information and intelligence flow from the people, press and members of the public would assist the army to fight terrorism more effectively, urging people to provide timely information and clear identification of criminal elements. Burutai, however, advised that the press, general public, security analysts and public commentators should show more maturity and due diligence in effort at ridding the country of criminals and criminality.

The COAS added that the conference and training would provide a serene environment needed for the military to brainstorm and appraise its performance in the first quarter of 2019.Meanwhile, troops of Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) have killed three Boko Haram terrorists on the Lake Chad shores of Cross Kauwa Community in Borno State.

The insurgents were killed in collaboration with troops of Operation Yancin Tapki in the early hours of yesterday.In a statement issued yesterday in N’Djamena, Chad, Spokesman of MNJTF, Col.Timothy Antigha said: “About 1.20pm on Wednesday, April 24, 2019, terrorists attacked troops’ position at Cross Kauwa, 40 kilometers south of Monguno Army Barracks.”

He said the insurgents paid dearly, as three were killed, while dozens escaped with gunshot wounds towards the Lake Chad.He added that arms and ammunition were recovered, including an AK-47 rifle, mortar bomb and General Purpose Machine Gun and urged communities to cooperate with Army by providing credible information on suspicious movements of individuals and groups.