Molly Kilete, Abuja
The Guards Brigade, Nigerian Army, has said that it deployed its soldiers to the three arm zone where the National Assembly is located earlier today to forestall a planned invasion of the area by the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) also known as the shiite group.
The Brigade, in a statement, debunked media reports alleging that the deployment was aimed at taking over the National Assembly complex and urged the public to disregard the report and go about their normal duties.
Assistant Director in charge of Public Relations, Captain Timothy Tagwai, in the statement said, “The attention of Guards Brigade Nigerian Army has been drawn to unfounded and unsubstantiated news trending on some online platforms about the presence of Military personnel at the National Assembly.
“The report that soldiers were trying to take over the National Assembly is false and misleading.
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“The Brigade wishes to state that troops of Guards Brigade Nigerian Army are routinely deployed within Abuja and environs on receipt of any intelligence report of mischievous elements that may want to cause mayhem.
“Therefore, as part of the routine responsibilities of the Brigade, troops were deployed at the Three Arm Zone of the Federal Capital Territory based on an intelligence report of an invasion by the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (aka Shiite) to force their way into the Zone.
“Hence, Troops were deployed to forestall any breach of peace and security.
“The Brigade wishes to state that media platforms should verify their stories before publication to avoid misleading the general public.
“The Nigerian Army is a professional organisation that conducts its operations with international best practices”.