Group warns against ‘smear campaigns’ against Buratai

A civil society group, Nigeria First has alleged that some ‘shadowy’ international groups have planned to launch “a smear campaign to assassinate the character of the immediate past Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd).” 

The group, at a press conference on Thursday in Abuja also dismissed the alleged killing of Igbos by the Nigerian Army under Buratai’s watch.

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According to its Secretary-General, Richard Augustine Adie, “these groups have been mobilized to cast aspersion on the character of the immediate past Chief of Army Staff by calling his stewardship into question.

Augustine Adie noted that “the despicable elements would go at any length to destroy the Nigerian Army by publishing baseless, fictitious and unsubstantiated reports using ethnicity and religion to break its ranks.

He added that “the overarching objective is to discredit all the notable achievements of Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai while in office in the puerile attempt at instigating the general public against the Nigerian Army as an institution of repute.

According to Adie, those behind these claims are doing everything possible to discourage the new service chiefs from delivering on the mandate that Mr President.

“The Nigeria First, therefore, condemned this act of sabotage in the strongest terms, warning those fanning the drums of religious and ethnic war in the country to desist from such for peace and tranquillity.

The group said that the years of the Tukur Buratai leadership as COAS of the Nigerian Army would go down in history as one of the most challenging chapters in Nigeria’s book.

“Nigeria First, however, urged all well-meaning Nigerians must rise to the occasion by speaking in one voice in this critical point of our existence.”