Col Mohammed Yerima
The Defence Headquarters, Wednesday urged the Islamist sect –Boko Haram to make use of its official communication channels if it wanted to have any interaction with relevant security authorities.
This came following the recent conditions given by dreaded group through ‘YouTube’ for the release of the abducted French nationals.
A statement by the Director of Defence Information, Col Mohammed Yerima, on the Boko Haram demand however, noted that Youtube was not the right channel of communication.
Yerima’s statement reads in part: “The Defence headquarters wishes to make the following clarifications regarding the video clip on YouTube purportedly released by Boko Haram in which it listed conditions for the release of the French family it is holding hostage.
“The Defence headquarters do not make official response to video on the YouTube. If the Boko Haram group wishes to express concern about their members being held, they ought to have channelled their demands through the JTF telephone help lines which they are conversant with. The numbers are 08064174066, 08154429346 and 07064174066.”
It would be recalled that Boko Haram claimed recently that the French nationals will be released only when their members, including women being held by the military authorities are released from detention.
Meanwhile, the Defence Headquarters said that over 1,200 officers and men of the Armed Forces have been deployed to the African-led International Support Mission to Mali, AFISMA.
“The last batch comprising of 162 troops will be airlifted to Mali today by the Nigerian Air Force while the Charlie aircraft provided by the British Government will equally airlift support equipment to the operation, side by side our own C-130.”
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