Chief Of Army Staff, Olufemi Oluyede has called on journalists and the citizenry to see insurgents killing innocent people as their common enemies.
He stated this at a media chat organised by the Army Headquarters Department of Civil-Military Affairs in Akure, Ondo State capital on Saturday.
The COAS, who spoke through the Chief of Civil-Military Affairs, Major General Gold U Chibuisi, said journalists and the citizens should not see the insurgent as mere opposition to the military alone.
He stated that the contributions of journalists reporting Defence or crime have tremendous impact on the chances of the military against the insurgents in the attacks on communities by the terrorists.
Fielding questions from journalists after the delivery of the two lectures by Colonel T.O. Antigha (retd) and Dr. (Mrs.) Christiana Ade-Johnson, Head of Department, Mass Communication, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Major General Gold U. Chibuisi assured that the military would continue to defend the territorial sovereignty of the federation.
The media chat entitled: “Military -Medi Collaboration: Panacea For Enhanced National Security and Development,” saw over 100 journalists and media managers in attendance.
Major General Chibuisi assured the participant-journalists of readiness by the military to work in collaboration with them to win the war against the insurgents.
He also disclosed that the military is continuously looking inward to fish out any officer snitching on the military for the insurgents.
According to him, it’s believed that there are also bad eggs among the regular officers, which is the reason surveillance is being kept on everyone.
He said those repentant insurgents who had been integrated into the military are under the watch of the formation to assure they are truly in support of the war against insurgency in the country.
Major General Chibuisi said: “Any of our citizens who has shown commitment to the state, just like all of us have signed up to be in the army, because we are citizens, somebody else who has erred and has received pardon from the appropriate quarters of clemency, nothing stops him from joining the war effort.
“However, the person goes further to subvert, he will be treated accordingly.
“There are even among those of us who are regular forces, who have joined and who have continued to take part in fighting against the enemies of our country, there are some they’ve done things that are not consistent with their modes of work.
“Like some people were arrested, sometimes pilfering with ammunition from our armory. They were not insurgents stall. They have always been with us, and they did that.
“So, anyone that we close in on, that person will be dealt with appropriately in accordance with our statutes.”