Rukuba attack: Army denies troops provided cover for perpetrators

The Headquarters of Joint Task Force Operation Enduring Peace has denied claims that troops provided cover for perpetrators of deadly Palm Sunday attacks in Angwan Rukuba community, Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State.

In a Tuesday statement signed by Media Information Officer, Captain Chinonso Oteh, the JTF said the claim made by one of the youth leaders of the community was false and misleading.

The JTF said it would have ignored the claim which is currently circulated on social media, especially in this moment of grief, but chose to debunk it for the purpose of clarity and the benefit of well meaning Nigerians.

The statement reads, “It is expedient to state unequivocally that at no point did troops provide any form of cover for the terrorists elements who carried out the unfortunate attack that claimed the lives of innocent citizens.

“Rather, troops on receiving a distress call on the unfortunate incident swiftly mobilised to the scene, which was far away from where they were deployed and observed that the attackers had fled.”

The JTF said troops acted professionally to avert what could have spiraled to endless bloodshed and pursued the fleeing criminals as could be attested to by many survivors who were at the scene of the attack.

It added, “Specifically, four guntrucks mounted by troops were despatched to the incident scene and they acted professionally on arrival as confirmed by other security agencies, as well as eye witnesses at the scene of the attack.

“Nonetheless, the allegation was promptly investigated and confirmed to be false.

“The comment by the youth leader is false, misleading and unfortunate, capable of demoralising troops and causing disaffection between the military and its host community.”

The JF urged the public to discountenance the comment, remain calm, law abiding and continue to support troops with credible and actionable information on terrorists activities.

“Troops in conjunction with other security agencies have adopted effective strategies to unravel and apprehend the perpetrators of the dastardly act.

“Troops will continue to deal decisively with criminals while maintaining peace in every part of Plateau State,” the statement further reads.