Boko Haram Calls JTF a Liar

JTF

The Joint Task Force (JTF) in Borno State, Operation Restore Order and the Boko Haram sect Monday opened a new vista with a word of war and   counter-claim, with the Islamic sect warning Nigerians against giving credence  to any information by the military.

The sect said the recent information on the killings of its members in the two Borno town of Borno, Monguno and Maiduguri was tilted by the task force, as no  such heavy casualties were recorded.

  The sect in a signed statement by one Abu Zinnira and sent to the e-mails of journalists based in Maiduguri, said a visit to the two towns of Monguno and  Maiduguri would prove that the task force was only selling lies to Nigerians.

Zinnira said: “This message is from the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunnah Lidda’awati  Wal Jihad in respect of the purported killing of our members during a raid by the Joint Task Force (JTF) in Jajeri area of Maiduguri, last Friday. The truth  of the matter is that we are the ones that triumphed during the encounter because we killed many soldiers and destroyed four armoured personnel carriers  (APCs).”

He lamented that: “What is obvious is that the JTF had only succeeded  in killing innocent civilians, not our members as they claimed.”

He described as regrettable for: “The JTF had made the same claim in respect of the attack we launched on their barracks in Monguno on Sunday, 3rd  March, 2013. They alleged to have killed 20 of our members and destroyed four of   our vehicles. This claim is far from the truth.”
Zinnira claimed that: “The truth is that we only lost three of our   members but have succeeded in attacking and destroying their barracks including two APCs. We also carted away arms and ammunitions.”

He however challenged anyone that want the truth to take a tour to the areas, insisting that “seeing is believing, we challenge Nigerians to go to Monguno and see things for themselves but as far as we are concerned, the attack
in Monguno favoured our movement.”

The spokesman of the JTF, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa swiftly responding to the claims of the sect, said Nigerians especially the media should be wary of the antics of the sect.

He said: “This is to alert reporters and the public to be wary of terrorists’ propaganda. In my honour as an officer, no barrack was attacked or burnt, no armoured tank was destroyed and no arms were carted away in any military barrack in our area of responsibility.”