The Nigerian Army has clarified that it did not accuse Borno Elders of sponsoring Boko Haram but rather some indigenes of the state of planning to prolong the group led terrorism in the North East.
The Director of Army Public Relations (DAPR), Col. Sani Usman, who made this clarification yesterday, disclosed that they did not refer to the elders in their statement.
Usman said that “the attention of the Nigerian Army has been drawn to observations and concerns by well meaning Nigerians especially the Borno Elders Leaders of Thought (BELT) about the misinterpretation of the warning.”
Therefore, he added, it becomes necessary to clarify to the effect that the statement released yesterday does not refer to the leaders of BELT or majority of the good people and law abiding prominent citizens of Borno State. He however noted that the warning was to inform a specific group of people whose activities are inimmical to our collective quest for peace as enumerated in the release.
At this point, the DAPR said, it is important to observe that what is required at this crucial period is for everyone to rally round the Federal Government to bring to a speedy end the wanton destruction of lives and properties by the Boko Haram insurgency.
Usman said that “the Borno Elders and Leaders of Thought cannot hold any clandestine meetings and therefore as a responsible organisation the Nigerian Army holds them in high esteem.
“We however wish to reiterate unequivocally that the Nigerian Army has credible information that certain individuals and groups are losing out of the successes being achieved and therefore want to discredit the renewed fight against Boko Haram. We would not tolerate nor allow them to actualise their nefarious intents,” he assured.