The reports that seven soldiers of the Nigerian Army were arrested in Zamfara over links with banditry have been debunked by the State Police Command.
A statement released on Saturday by the spokesperson of the Zamfara State Police Command, SP Mohammed Shehu said the trending report on social media about the arrest is fake.
Shehu urged members of the public to disregard the report and appealed to newsmen to always verify before publishing contents.
The statement reads: “The attention of Zamfara police command has been drawn to a fake news trending on social media platforms with regards to the arrest of seven serving soldiers of the Nigerian Army for being involved in banditry in the state.
“The command wishes to debunk the story and further make it categorically clear that records at the moment indicate no arrest of any member of the military as being speculated in social media.
“The command, therefore, enjoins members of the public to discountenance the fake news and further warns against spreading fake and unsubstantiated information, as any person or group found will be made to face the full wrath of the law.”
“Members of the press and other social media users are urged to seek clarifications from appropriate authorities on any information that comes their way before going on air”, he appealed.
Meanwhile, operatives of the Nigerian Army have confirmed the killing of three unknown gunmen at a police checkpoint in Anambra State.
A statement delivered to newsmen on Saturday by the Director Army Public Relations, Brig Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, revealed that the gallant troops of Sector 5 of Exercise Golden Dawn deployed to the South-East, countered the gunmen with superior firepower, forcing them to flee the scene.
The assailants, according to the statement, were followed and the troops successfully neutralized them at the Police checkpoint along Okija-Onitsha expressway on 7 October.
This article was originally published on Naija News