Niger massacre: Nigerian Army decry posting of late soldiers images

The uploading of pictures of the soldiers who were killed on Thursday by terrorists in the Ajata-Aboki, Gurmana ward of Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State has been condemned by the Nigerian Army. 

Over thirty Nigerian soldiers, seven mobile police officers, and six civilians were killed when the gunmen attacked a nearby mining site. Scores more were injured, and a number of people were also kidnapped. 

The Army pleaded with Nigerians to exercise restraint when publishing such photographs in a press release signed by Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, Director Army Public Relations. 

He emphasized that families who lost their primary earners should be adequately informed of the situation rather than learning about it from the media. 

Nwachukwu said,” some clips of the incident have surfaced online and we wish to encourage well meaning Nigerians to exercise some restraint in posting images of such occurrence, mindful that our brothers and sisters who may have lost their breadwinners deserve to be properly notified and not to get such information via the media. We mention this, mindful of the inalienable rights of citizens to use the social media which is respected”. The Director Army Public Relations explained that the soldiers paid the supreme price on their way to respond to a distress call of an attack on a mining site in the area, when they ran into an ambush staged by the criminal elements. According to him, “the troops of the Nigerian Army (NA) deployed in Shiroro general area responded to a distress call of bandits attack on people operating a mining site. Enroute the location, the troops ran into an ambush staged by the criminal elements. Sadly, a number of personnel paid the supreme price in fierce firefight that ensued.”

The location had also been reinforced, and troops were on the trail of the criminals, with some already neutralized, according to the statement, adding that “the GOC 1 Division has moved to the location to take charge of the follow up operations.”