The Federal Government has appealed to media executives not to give terrorists, bandits, and other criminal syndicates undue prominence or coverage on the front pages of their publications.

The government specifically urged the media not to surrender or give in to the desire to sensationalise or prioritise coverage of these criminal groups.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris Malagi, made this appeal in Abuja during an official engagement between the military high command, the leadership of the Nigerian media, and other stakeholders to mark the second year in office of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, and the Service Chiefs.

Meanwhile, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) stated that troops deployed to all operational theatres killed 6,260 criminals, apprehended 14,138 others, rescued 5,365 victims of abduction, and retrieved stolen crude oil worth N83 billion in two years.

The Minister said, “The personnel of the Armed Forces of Nigeria are doing so much and sacrificing their lives, losing part of their physical body so that you and I can enjoy peace in our communities and homes. It is, however, not encouraging to me when I see the Nigerian media prioritising the news of terrorists and other criminal elements over and above what our men and women in uniform are doing.

“They are working for Nigeria; they are fighting for you. You cannot side with the enemy. It is essential that we all recognise that they are working and sacrificing their lives so that all of us can have a peaceful, united, and prosperous Nigeria. It is not useful when our front pages are ceded to these criminal elements. Let us take them off our space; let us take them off our front pages. Let us remove them from the headlines in our radio stations. They don’t deserve it; they should be treated for what they are – they are the enemies of this country, and we must treat them as such.

“I have always insisted that security reporting must be responsible, factual, and nation-focused. We must resist, as I said earlier, the temptation to sensationalise or unintentionally serve the agenda of our adversaries. Most often, our media professionals are not aware that the propaganda these terrorists and other criminal elements dish out is actually serving the purpose of those we are fighting as a nation.”

He stressed that the engagement marks not only two years of service for the current service chiefs but also two years of strategic recalibration in the security architecture of our great nation.

“I have said it over and over that we have seen a renewed vigour; yes, we are not there yet; yes, it is still work in progress, but we have seen a renewed vigour, we have seen a renewed commitment, and we have also seen a new cohesion and unity on the part of our armed forces to ensure that we win this war.

“We wish to commend them for this synergy to win the war. Let me also convey the commendation of President Bola Tinubu for their unshakable commitment, discipline, and patriotism in the discharge of their duties. The nation remains deeply grateful for your sacrifices, which frequently go above and beyond the call of duty,” he said.

He also assured the military of President Tinubu’s administration’s continued support, not just with arms and equipment but policies that strengthen intelligence gathering, enhance interagency collaboration and coordination, and promote the welfare of men and women in uniform and their families.

Earlier in his address, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, said the nation is contending with an array of adaptive and unconventional threats from non-state actors, including terrorism, insurgency, banditry, secessionist violence, and other forms of organised crime.

These multifaceted threats, he noted, underscore the urgent need for a comprehensive, multidimensional, and multidisciplinary approach, stating that in response, the Armed Forces have fully embraced the Whole-of-Society Approach – a framework that emphasises synergy among the military, government institutions, and the people as a unified trinity in the fight against insecurity.

The primary objective of the engagement with media executives, he stressed, is to foster direct interaction with them from across the country.

Encouraging citizens not to despair, even in the face of temporary setbacks, General Musa assured that the Armed Forces of Nigeria, in synergy with all security forces, are determined to overcome these challenges and make insecurity a thing of the past.

Giving the operational brief during the event, the Deputy Director of Defence Media Operations, Brigadier General Ibrahim Abu-Mawashi, said troops of the Joint Task Force, South-South Operation Delta Safe, recovered stolen crude oil and other petroleum products worth N83 billion, killed 103 criminals, arrested 2,760 suspects, and rescued 266 kidnapped civilians in the Niger Delta area within the period under review.

Linus Aleke

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