TheCable

Boko Haram on Tuesday raided six villages in Borno State, killing no fewer than 30 persons, injuring several others and destroying houses.

This is thought to be a revenge attack following the losses they suffered on Sunday in shoot-outs with Nigerian soldiers.

Some of the villages attacked are Attagara, Amuda and Ngoshe, all in Gwoza local government area.

Nine Boko Haram militants were killed on Monday in Kawuri and Buratai in a failed ambush.

There is yet no official confirmation of the latest attacks and the number of casualty.

Attacks are becoming so frequent in the Borno axis that many are going unreported.

On Tuesday, defence headquarters denied that some generals and other junior officers of the Nigerian army were under court martial for allegiance to Boko Haram.

Major-Gen. Chris Olukolade, director of defence information, described the news as untrue.

“The DHQ wishes to state categorically that there is no truth whatsoever in a report in a section of the media,” read a statement signed by Olukolade.

“The story published in some dailies and propagated by some online media is very unfortunate and meant to do maximum damage to the image of Nigerian Army and its personnel.

“This falsehood had previously been refuted when it first reared its head but those concocting it appear hell bent on misleading Nigerians and the international community.

“It has become inevitable to reassure the general public that any ongoing disciplinary process or trial will be made public when necessary.

“After all, court martial issues in the Nigerian Army are not known to be secret undertakings as it is on record that previous proceedings and outcome had been made public.”

The statement cautioned those who have decided to make past time out of sensationalising and fabricating sensitive security issues to desist from it.

It said it was bad enough for the army to try and convict a single general for such a grievous offence as alleged in the reports let alone 10 generals.

According to the statement, the army remains a serious professional and responsible institution that cannot be associated with such incredulous report.

“The general public is, therefore, implored to discountenance the report as the handiwork of those who do not mean well for the country and her armed forces,” it said.

“Disciplinary processes being undertaken in any formation of the army are at best routines and definitely not at the level that has been so willfully exaggerated for clearly sinister motives.

“For emphasis, there is no general of the Nigerian Army under any form of trial.”

There had been a widespread information on the social media as well as some other publications that some officers were under trial for aiding terrorism.