"If you don’t like a government, don’t extend this to the military" - Lai Mohammed

The minister of information, Lai Mohammed has said that not all information regarding the operation of the Nigerian military will be made public and urged the media to respect this and not break the nation.

The Punch reports the minister spoke as a special guest of honour at the Nigerian Army Media Conference organised in collaboration with the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Nigeria Institute of Public Relations, Guild of Corporate Online Publishers and Guild of Professional Bloggers of Nigeria.

Mohammed who was represented by the permanent secretary in the ministry, Grace Isu Gekpe said the media should also consider national security when reporting news.

He said: “Governments come and go but the security services remain to continue to take the risks so that you and I can live to pursue livelihood. If you don’t like the government of the day for whatever reason, you should not extend that hatred to the army or the security services in general.”

He said: “They (security agents) can’t even think of Christmas. Their thought is on whether they will see another day or even the next hour alive, we need to support them.’’

He noted that the recapture of Baga by the military did not get as much prominence as when it was under Boko haram rule in the media.

The chief host of the event, who is also the chief of army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, said the military said it was aware of its responsibilities.

He said: “Not all information regarding military operations will be made available to you. This is because we are also gatekeepers in keeping secret vital military operations for national security.

“However, when such operations are conducted, relevant details will be made available to the media for public consumption.

“In this regard, I want to request the media to bear with us and exercise patience while we remain committed to carrying you along in the discharge of our various military operations.”

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that that two supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) allegedly lost their lives during the party's presidential rally in Sokoto state on Wednesday, January 23.

According to reports, the yet-to-named deceased individuals included a woman and a 15-year-old boy.