The Nigerian Armed Forces on Thursday sought for the support of the media and stakeholders in the ongoing efforts to rescue the abducted Dapchi school girls.
They also called for maturity in media reportage on the various operations in the country.
Brig.-Gen. Jonh Agim, the Director, Defence Information, made the call at the end of the service chiefs meeting in Maiduguri.
Agim said that the meeting was to review the ongoing rescue operation and ongoing operation in the northeast.
“Today the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Gabrieal Abayomi Olanisakin with the service chiefs: the Chief of Army Staff; the Chief of Naval Staff, the Chief of Air Staff and the Director General, Department of State Security Service (DSS) came into the Theatre Command to review the ongoing operation particularly the operation to get back the Dapchi school girls.
“The Chief of Defence Staff is soliciting for the cooperation of the media and all stakeholders in these ongoing operations and to this end is asking for maturity in handling the media so that we do not speculate”.
Agim dismissed insinuation that the military had engaged fishermen and farmers in the rescue operation, noting that it could jeopardise the operations, engender the lives of the girls and those involved in the operation.
“While the military is soliciting for useful information from well meaning public; the military has not single out fishermen and farmers for this assistance rather it is asking for anybody with useful information for this purpose.
“Henceforth, what we will be doing is to limit the way we publicise the strategies, we would rather discuss and communicate the success of the operations”.
The meeting was attended by Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai; Chief Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, and Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral, Ebok Ibas.
Others were Air vice Marshal, MS Usman and Mr Lawan Daura, the Chief of Defence Intelligence and Director General, Department of State Security (DSS), respectively.
