The Nigerian Army has moved swiftly to debunk alarming claims circulating on social media alleging that the Federal Government and governors from the South-East and Northern regions have orchestrated plans to transport weapons for attacks against South-East residents.
The false intelligence, which spread rapidly across various social media platforms through what authorities describe as digitally manipulated video content, prompted an immediate response from the military’s 82 Division on Tuesday.
Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations for the 82 Division, Lieutenant Colonel Olabisi Ayeni, categorically denied the explosive allegations, describing them as “entirely deceptive” and part of “a calculated attempt to incite disaffection among ethnic groups in the country.”
The viral video content specifically claimed that a coordinated conspiracy existed between federal authorities and regional governors to facilitate weapons transportation into the South-East for the purpose of attacking local residents, allegations that the Army has now branded as completely fabricated.
“The deliberate misinformation is designed to instil fear and cause public anxiety,” Lieutenant Colonel Ayeni stated, emphasizing that the false claims were strategically crafted to create panic among South-East communities.
The alleged intelligence about planned attacks appears to have been designed to exploit existing tensions and historical grievances within Nigeria’s complex ethnic landscape, with the fake content targeting one of the country’s most sensitive regional relationships.
According to the Army’s assessment, the false claims about weapon transportation and planned attacks represent a sophisticated disinformation campaign that could have triggered real-world violence if left unaddressed.
“Ordinarily, the Division/Operation Udo Ka will not dignify such baseless allegations with a response. However, in line with our overarching mission to ensure peace and security for socio-economic development in the region, we find it necessary to strongly condemn the misinformation,” Ayeni explained.
The timing of the false intelligence claims comes amid ongoing security operations in the South-East region, where military forces have worked to neutralize various security threats while maintaining stability among diverse communities.
Lieutenant Colonel Ayeni emphasized that the fabricated attack plans directly contradict the reality on the ground, where security agencies have been focused on “fostering peaceful coexistence through the effective neutralisation of threats to physical security.”
The Army’s response suggests that the false intelligence was sophisticated enough to warrant official military attention, indicating that the fabricated content may have appeared credible enough to influence public opinion and potentially trigger security concerns.
“Furthermore, all security agencies operating in the South-East region have significantly fostered peaceful coexistence through the effective neutralisation of threats to physical security,” Ayeni noted, directly countering the attack narrative with evidence of successful peacekeeping efforts.
The military official issued a stern warning that any attempts to undermine regional security through such fabricated intelligence would prove unsuccessful, suggesting that authorities are treating the disinformation campaign as a serious security threat in itself.
The Army’s decision to publicly address the specific claims about planned attacks and weapons transportation reflects the potential explosive nature of such allegations in a region where historical tensions could be easily inflamed by false intelligence.
Lieutenant Colonel Ayeni’s statement serves as both a categorical denial of the attack plans and a warning to South-East residents about the dangers of consuming unverified intelligence claims, particularly those involving alleged government conspiracies against civilian populations.
The incident highlights the growing challenge facing Nigerian security agencies in combating sophisticated disinformation campaigns that exploit digital manipulation technologies to create believable but entirely false intelligence about planned attacks and security operations.
