The denial is a reaction to media reports that alleged that troops of Operation Deep Punch II, under Operation Lafiya Dole, stopped operations to allow the wanted Shekau escape.
In a statement signed by the Deputy Director Public Relations, Theatre Command Operation LAFIYA DOLE, Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu, the report is a psychological warfare on troops fighting the terrorist group.
Branding the report as "laughable", Colonel Nwachukwu said the claim is mischievous because operations are sometimes halted for a number of reasons.
The statement read, "The
attention of Theatre Command, Operation LAFIYA DOLE has been drawn to
unfortunate mainstream and social media reports and insinuations that
troops advance at the ongoing Operation DEEP PUNCH II was deliberately
halted to allow the escape of the purported factional Boko Haram
terrorists group leader, Abubakar Shekau in Sambisa forest. This is not
true.
"Though the Theatre
Command considers this misinformation as very laughable, it is quite
disheartening and capable of dampening the morale of troops who are
working round the clock to fight the terrorists in north eastern
Nigeria. It is therefore expedient to respond to these insinuations.
"Contrary
to these mischievous allegations, no such order or directive was given
by anybody to any of the units and formations on that operation.
"This
spurious allegation is most unfortunate and wake up call for the public
to be very wary of agents of destabilization that are determined to
thwart our efforts of clearing the remnants of Boko Haram terrorists
hibernating in nooks and crannies of Sambisa forest and the Lake Chad
islands.
"Contrary to the
insinuations being touted and for a better understanding of military
operations by the authors of this misinformation, it is crucial to point
out, that there are several factors that influence the planning and
conduct of military operations, whether kinetic or otherwise.
"The
ongoing Operation DEEP PUNCH II, which is aimed at clearing Boko Haram
insurgents from the Sambisa forest and the northern fringes of Lake Chad
region, was planned to be executed in phases.
"It
is a phased operation and therefore requires that at a predetermined
point or stage, troops will be halted either preparatory to transiting
to another phase or outrightly transiting depending on the threat
situation.
"Secondly, during
the operations, troops advance could be halted when vehicles or other
mobile equipment are bugged down due to the difficulty of the terrain
and for recovery purposes.
"More
also and very importantly too, in military operations avenues are
deliberately provided for troops to habour, where they rest and carry
out refitting of weapons and other equipment before resuming the
operations.
"Additionally, booby
traps and land mines could also compel an advancing troop to halt to
enable some specialized squad, scout and assess the situation before
movement resumes.
"These and several other factors could precipitate the halting of troops during operations.
"It
is therefore very appalling and unimaginable that a fundamental
operational procedure could be misinterpreted and be mischievously used
as a psychological weapon to indirectly dampen the morale of our troops.
"The
Theatre Command is seriously taken aback by this phony publication and
considers it a psychological warfare on troops of Operation LAFIYA DOLE.
"Consequently,
members of the public are please enjoined to discountenance this
misinformation as it is untenable and does not reflect the strong
character and courageous disposition of troops of Operation LAFIYA
DOLE."
Army ready to end 'romance' with Shekau
Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Major-General Rogers Nicholas, recently declared that the army is ready to put an end to its 'romance' with Shekau.
When
questioned over a recent video where Shekau declared that he was ready
to die than bear the calamity that has befallen his terrorist group,
Maj-Gen Nicholas said the army will do anything to apprehend him.
He said, "That
is the statement of somebody who has already been defeated. He has seen
what he has never seen before. We've romanced Shekau enough, so enough
of the romance. We want him anyhow, dead or alive."
Boko Haram menace
Since
the insurgency of the terrorist group escalated after a 2009 crackdown
by the military, Boko Haram, chiefly under Shekau's leadership, has been
responsible for the death of over 20,000 people and the displacement of
more than 2.5 million scattered across Internally Displaced Person
(IDP) camps across the country and its neighbours.
After a massive military operation resulted in the displacement of the group from its Camp Zairo base in the infamous Sambisa Forest, it has resorted to suicide bomb attacks on soft targets and carried out daring attacks on military bases, with hundreds of captives still unaccounted for.
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