Soldiers of 4 Brigade Nigerian Army and personnel of the Department of State Services (DSS) Edo State Command have embarked on a raid of hotels where political thugs allegedly imported for the September 28 governorship election in the state are suspected to be lodged.

Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, disclosed this in a statement he issued on Thursday morning to debunk an online publication (not by News Express) alleging that soldiers and DSS operatives in Edo arrested and molested 10 journalists in Benin City, the state capital, earlier today. “This is not correct as the online media did not get their facts right,” Col. Usman said.

Giving the official account of what happened, the Army Spokesman said: “Sequel to the prevailing security situation in the state which led to the postponement of the earlier scheduled Gubernatorial Election in Edo State, there were credible security reports that some unpatriotic persons have hired hoodlums with the intention of causing mayhem during the forthcoming election in the state. The reports further showed that the suspected hoodlums have been lodged in some hotels within Benin City and its environs.

“Acting on this, the DSS in conjunction with troops of 4 Brigade Nigerian Army carried out cordon and search operations in the suspected areas.

“This led to the arrest of 10 suspected persons in one of the hotel. Among the suspects arrested was a deserted soldier.

“It is pertinent to state that none of the arrested suspects identified himself as a journalist or mention the media he reports for, contrary to the allegations of the online media.

“In addition, quite a number of incriminating items including INEC sensitive materials were recovered from them.

“That notwithstanding, all the suspects were treated humanely and in the most dignified manner which has always been in accordance with our Code of Code and the tradition. Therefore none of them was molested at all during the operation and subsequent handing over to the relevant security agency.

“We wish to reiterate the position of the present leadership of the Nigerian Army under the command of Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai which has zero tolerance for such unprofessional and unethical conduct such as harassment and molestation of innocent citizens. The Nigerian Army would always conduct itself professionally and responsibly in all its operations. Therefore, it is always advisable to always cross check facts before rushing to file or post such stories.”

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