An independent reportage of the ongoing war against Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East has been advocated by the Bring Back Our Girls, BBOG, group to erase doubts by some Nigerians who are skeptical of the successes recorded by the Nigerian Army in the fight against the Boko Haram sect.
Making this call in a statement signed by Dr Oby Ezekwesili and other leaders of the group, BBOG emphasized the importance of having journalists among the ground troops to independently cover the counterinsurgency efforts, adding that such practice is a global standard by Forces prosecuting wars in various countries.
“We have observed that this practice has been adopted by the Chadian military who have allowed independent reportage of their operations,” it said.
While reacting to the displeasure expressed by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) over the unwillingness of the military to give journalists access to the war front, the group urged the military authorities to engage the NGE in resolving the issue.
“We absolutely consider it appropriate that our military would act like those of our neighbouring countries and designate independent journalists as part of its contingents within the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF),” it said.
BBOG, however, commended the military for backing up the reporting of its successes and challenges in the war against the insurgency with relevant evidence which it said had enabled citizens to fully grasp the progress being made, and urged them to sustain the effort.
“For instance, we and members of the public took delight in watching a video of an aerial combat in which our Military was decimating a Boko Haram enclave. We applaud such public confidence boosting visuals and ask for more of such evidence. The reason is simply that at times like this, such evidence-based messages of victory at the battle front enormously help to rekindle citizens’ trust in the counter insurgency operation considering that it has unfortunately been ridden with many suspicions and challenges,” it said.
The group promised that it will continue to provide weekly reports on the renewed military operations until the expiration of the six weeks timeline given by the government.
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