Army not at war with the media, insists Olukolade

Following widespread condemnation of the seizure of some newspapers on Friday and Saturday, defence spokesman, Major-General Chris Olukolade, has appealed to Nigerians to understand that the military is not fighting the media and will not hamper the performance of their social responsibility.

Speaking in an interview on African Independent Television (AIT), Olukolade said the military owes the country the duty of ensuring the overall safety of lives in the face of the current insurgency, and will not hesitate to clamp down on anything or anyone suspected to further heighten the tension.

Olukolade, who recalled that the press and the military have always maintained a cordial relationship, insisted that the military acted on intelligence information that would have been a threat to the country’s security.

“We want our colleagues in the media to understand that there is nobody willing to move against them. We know how powerful and useful they are. But this time, our safety is at stake, both as a nation and as individuals,” he said.

“If we fail to respond to intelligence at our disposal, who takes responsibility?  People should understand our plight and not use this development as an opportunity to say that we want to get back at the press for whatever reason.”

Olukolade praised Nigerian journalists for their reports on the abducted Chibok girls, saying they saved the country from the foreign media that wanted to portray the nation in bad light.

He urged Nigerians to endure any inconvenience that may arise in the course of combating terrorism, as routine checks like that of Friday and Saturday will cut across all sectors and individuals.

“Terrorism is here and all of us better come to the reality of that fact. When there is terrorism, one of the factors is the inconvenience it tends to place on every citizen,” he said.

“Comfort has to be given up for the safety of everybody. This is not normal. For instance if you are going into a church or mosque nowadays, you don’t feel safe.

“We made a pledge to Nigeria; we would not take any information lightly; we must follow it with every zeal and effort required, in order to ensure that safety is not taken for granted. That is what led to the checks we are going through.”