By Chuks Oyema-Aziken
The Nigerian Army has refuted an online media report that it plotted and participated in the Dapchi girlsa�� abduction.
The Armya��s reaction came against the backdrop reports on Facebook and other social media that one a�?deserteda�? Sergeant David Bako, leaked how the abduction was planned in the Presidential Villa and allegedly executed with N80 million.
In a statement signed by the Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Texas Chukwu, the Army said the so-called Bako intended to smear and drag it into politics of calumny by mischiefmakers.
The statement read: “The Nigerian Army therefore put the record straight that it has cross-checked it records and cannot find any one call Sergeant David Bako, who neither serves in the Army, deserted or dismissed.
a�?The Nigerian Army therefore disassociates itself with such fictitious report and requests the public to disregard the confessions made by the so-called Sergeant David Bako who has not been in the Army at all.
“It is imperative to know that these baseless and inane allegations are not new in the cyber space, knowing the fact that we are in the age of information warfare.
a�?Open Source Intelligence reveals that the website Dailyglobewatch.eu with country code top-level domain (ccTLD).eu used in publishing stories is obviously fake and therefore not correct.
a�?Based on our findings, the website was registered on 14th April, 2017, and the last update was on the same date and will expire on the 14th April, 2018.
a�?We are very familiar with reports of this nature and will advise the general public to disregard such claim and desist from sharing such information on the new media as this is against the Nigerian Cybercrime Act 2015.
“However, it is really worrisome to the level at which some people could condescend so low to fabricate facetious allegation against the Nigerian Army and the military at large for cheap political gains or simply an act of pure wickedness, thus the public should disregard such facetious allegationa�?.
Bako who claimed to hail from Plateau State a�?revealeda�� how the Dapchi girls kidnap drama was plotted and executed by the Army.
He said that he found it absolutely necessary to make the confession considering the criminal killings across the country which he likened to ethnic-cleansing.
In an email he sent to a media newsroom in Paris, France, Sergeant Bako said that the plot was planned and rehearsed for two weeks by Buhari’s loyalists in the Army, of which he was one.
He claimed that the desperation by Buhari to rule Nigeria for another four years drove him to employ all means to make sure he remains in power.
President Buhari, he said, would be no pushover in 2019 because he has perfected plans to remain in the Villa beyond 2019.
Bako further alleged that they were given N80 million to execute the plot to restore the peoples’ waning confidence in the Buhari government as Boko Haram stepped up attacks recently which was a complete embarrassment to the government after claiming to have defeated the Islamist sect.
He said that the resurgence of Boko Haram attacks and killings in the North East drove the government to find all means possible to regain the peoples’ confidence seeing that 2019 election is as good as lost.
Buhari, he said, does not want to leave the Villa under any guise in 2019.
He wrote: ”I feel constrained to make this confession and as I make this stunning confession, I am no longer in Nigeria because I have to unavoidably deserted the Nigerian Army to save my life and that of my family from a possible summary execution by Buhari’s secret agents.
a�?Barnawi faction of Boko Haram knows nothing about the abduction of Dapchi girls. We were paid N80 million to carry out the abduction which we planned and rehearsed for two weeks to make it look real. Sixteen of us, strong Buhari’s loyalists took part in the plot and were given N80 million and some trucks with which to carry out the operation.
a�?The plan, according to our unit commander, is to make Nigerians regain their confidence in the Buhari government, demobilise the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which we all dislike with a passion and the Olusegun Obasanjo coalition, which the Villa saw as an emerging threat if something is not urgently done.
a�?The money we got was not paid into our accounts but was brought by car from Abuja totalling N80 million which was shared amongst us with trucks to carry out the operation.
a�?On that night, the soldiers stationed in the neighbourhood were deployed to other locations to enable us carry out the operation hitch-free which we did. The Boko Haram flag you saw us carrying was designed by us and had ourselves wrapped up like the insurgents.
a�?We drove into the school compound in a commando-style, broke through the school gate while the night guards numbering three or more ran for their dear lives as they heard our gunshots and chanting Islamic war songs amid ‘Western education is a sin”.
He continued: a�?Was there any statement released on the abduction by the Barnawi group? Was there any video footage by the Barnawi group like that of the Chibok girls? That was to make it a top secret which the government does not want to play ita�?.
Dapchi Girlsa�� Saga: Army disowns a�?deserted soldiera�� account
