NCYY: Attack on Buratai Unfair, Mere Campaign of Calumny
The National Committee of Yoruba Youths (NCYY) has condemned the continuous media attack and orchestrated campaign of calumny against the Chief of Staff Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai.
The group described those launching the attacks as saboteurs, who have been using some local and international organisations, like the Amnesty International and some “self styled” Civil Society Organisations, the latest being the Civil Society Network against Corruption, CSNAC.
The group, in a statement signed by its President and Assistant Registrar, Comrade Oladimeji Odeyemi and Olufemi Akindele, added that the campaigns against the army and its leadership at this critical moment, are calculated attempts to derail the ongoing war against terrorism in the country, while also seeking to tarnish the image of the Chief of Army Staff, General Buratai.
According to the statement, ‘’the fabricators of these spurious allegations have gone beyond the ordinary, just to paint the Army and its Leadership before the general public’’.
The group however hinted that, though the Army, despite its untiring effort in combating the terrorists and their sponsors, are not afraid of submitting themselves to public scrutiny as it has often been demonstrated by General Buratai-led leadership.
The statement read in part: “These statements and allegations are either concocted, unsubstantiated, pure conjectures or outright falsehood. In this latest instance, may we reference the call on Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to probe the Chief of Army Staff over his Asset declaration by these self styled Civil Society Network against Corruption, CSNAC.
“CSNAC premised its petition to CCB on complaints of corruption within the Army against the Chief of Army Staffs, which had come to its notice and it has made investigations into. It is curious that CSNAC had already passed a guilty verdict on the Chief of Army Staffs in the court of public opinion based on a mere hearsay.
“This clearly shows that the group is simply acting out a script to discredit the Nigerian Army and its leadership’’, the statement added.
It also harped that the call by CSNAC lacks substance, saying it can easily be described as the handiwork or another futile attempt by political jobbers, agents provocateurs & their foreign collaborators bent on distracting the Nigerian Army from the war against terrorism in the country.
“CSNAC in its haste to tar the Chief of Army Staff with the brush of corruption and fraud clearly refused to make any official enquiries from him or the Nigerian Army about the said allegations. Nothing exposes CSNAC’s ignorance in matters relating to Asset declarations than the unsubstantiated allegations as contained in its latest petition”.
“These are verifiable facts and the figures support the asset declaration of General Buratai, which had earlier given him a clean bill of health by the CCB. Indeed, what the Nigerian Army and its leadership deserve are accolades and not mudslinging and wicked propaganda by detractors, who now see the Army as their next target for reasons that are far from being noble.
“There is no doubt that political charlatans and enemies are at work fueling unnecessary rumours and insinuations. Their aim is to destroy the good name and corporate reputation of the Army and its leadership, meanwhile our people knows the truth” the statement concluded.