‘AI reports on Nigerian military biased, unpatriotic’

A group, Professionals for Better Nigeria (PBN), that prides itself as “champions of transparency, accountability and good governance in public service and the total wellbeing of Nigerians,” has condemned the recent reports from the Amnesty International (AI).
The group, in a statement jointly issued yesterday in Abuja by its National Coordinator, Diokpa Obi Iwanka, and Publicity Secretary, Comrade Chimezie Oyiuke, noted that the reports were “not only biased, but unpatriotic and a smear campaign of calumny against our hard-fighting and patriotic Nigerian military, whose only crime is not allowing the Boko Haram insurgents to override the territory and occupy the Nigerian state.” It further noted that Amnesty’s “recently orchestrated reports on the Nigerian Army is not only malicious, mischievous and a fallacy, but a wicked lie from the pit of hell, cooked up allegedly by AI to paint the Nigerian Army as rapists at the camps of Internally Displaced persons (IDPs).” The statement read in part: “We make bold to say that the orchestrated swear campaigns against the Nigerian Army in the media by AI and mischief makers are intended to drag the name of the Nigerian military into odium and public ridicule while putting it in a negative public perception.
“Our worries stem from the fact that these narratives from AI donning the garb of human rights watch are calculated to tarnish the hard fought war by the Nigerian Army including the loss of lives by our officers and men in favour of the Boko Haram insurgents, because overtime, the reports have favored the terrorists rather than the Nigerian military.” Continuing, it read: “We, therefore, urge Nigerians to be vigilant and not to be hoodwinked by these reports by AI as they are not patriotic and do not have the unity, peace and stability of the nation at heart and, therefore, should be jettisoned by all Nigerians as biased and lopsided.
“We salute the Nigerian Army gallantry, patriotism, new sense of urgency, transparency, rules of engagement and the direction in the fight against the insurgency and criminalities across the country.
The enormous improvement in military equipment, fire power and the overall capabilities displayed in military operations is a welcome development supported by all Nigerians.
“We, therefore, ask Nigerians to discountenance the reports; disregard the innuendos by AI to draw the ire of the Nigerian people against the military.
We, therefore, demand AI to desist forthwith the blackmail, intrigues, misinformation, and intimidation and orchestrated propaganda against the Nigerian military.”