Be wary of digitally manipulated voice/video contents – Army warns S’East residents

The Headquarters 82 Division of the Nigerian Army has warned residents of the South-East to be wary of digitally manipulated voice and video contents.

The acting Deputy Director Army Public Relations, 82 Division, Lt.-Col.
Olabisi Ayeni, gave the warning in a statement he issued on Tuesday in Enugu.

Ayeni said that the attention of the Division, which is also Headquarters of Joint Task Force South-East ‘Operation UDO KA’, had been drawn to an old and misleading voiceover video that is currently re-circulating on social media.

According to him, the perpetrators falsely alleged that the Federal Government, in collaboration with South-East and Northern Governors, intends to transport weapons of different types through airports to attack South-East residents.

The army spokesman said that the claims contained in the video are entirely deceptive and represent a calculated attempt to incite disaffection among ethnic groups in the country.

“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.

“The deliberate misinformation is designed to instil fear and cause public anxiety.

“Furthermore, all security agencies operating in the South-East region have significantly fostered peaceful coexistence through the effective neutralisation of threats to physical security,” he said.

Ayeni noted that any attempt by anyone or groups of persons to undermine the security architecture in the region would definitely be an effort in futility.

“The public is therefore urged to remain vigilant and rely only on accurate and verified information from credible sources, especially in this era of artificial intelligence and digitally manipulated content.

“Relevant security agencies are currently on trail of the perpetrators.

“All residents are equally urged to promote peaceful atmosphere through unity and mutual trust in the interest of national security,” he added.