The Nigerian Defence Headquarters has dismissed a viral video purportedly showing Olufemi Oluyede, the chief of defence staff, saying young Nigerians would be recruited into the army against their will,
In an X post on Saturday, the DHQ described the claim as false.
The DHQ said the video, which features a digitally cloned image of the CDS, is a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and malign his reputation.
The military described the circulating footage as “fake” and “malicious”, noting that the false message attributed to the CDS is capable of portraying the armed forces in bad light.
The DHQ stressed that at no time did the CDS, any of the service chiefs, or any personnel of the armed forces issue such a directive or make any comment suggesting compulsory recruitment of citizens from age 18.
“For the avoidance of doubt, let it be on record that the purported statement was never made by the Chief of Defence Staff, any of the Service Chiefs and indeed by any member of the Armed Forces of Nigeria,” the statement reads.
“In this age of Artificial Intelligence, disinformation and malinformation it is important that care is taken by all to avoid the creation and sharing of fake statements and videos without clearly verifying their source and authenticity.
“It is therefore important for all to note that all statements and releases from the Chief of Defence Staff are to be sourced from verified Defence Headquarter’s designated spokespersons and its official social media handles.”
The military called on the public to disregard the fake video and refrain from amplifying disinformation capable of causing unnecessary tension.
