We did not send soldiers to vaccinate in Rivers - Army
- The Nigerian army has debunked rumours going round in Rivers state about soldiers forcefully vaccinating students
- The army stated that its medical outreaches or vaccination exercises are not carried out in schools
- The army provided an emergency number for members of the public to call if any soldier is seen in schools for such exercise
The Nigerian army has reacted to the rumours going round in Rivers state about soldiers forcefully vaccinating students.
A statement by the deputy director of army public relations in the headquarters 6 division, Colonel Aminu Ilyasu, described the rumours as callous and unpatriotic.
Legit.ng had earlier reported that panic-stricken parents in Rivers state earlier today, Tuesday, October 17, withdrew their children from their various schools after rumours of the forced vaccination was going round the state.
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“The callous and unpatriotic rumours spread by these enemies of state are, to say the least, despicable, deplorable and highly condemnable by all well meaning Nigerians as they are intended to cause pandemonium among the general public.
“While the Nigerian Army plans to undertake such gestures like free medical outreaches, sanitation exercises in host communities and distribution of educational materials as part of our community relations activities during the ongoing Operation CROCODILE SMILE II, these activities are yet to be conducted and will eventually be conducted with the consent of relevant authorities of designated communities and at venues and dates that will be duly communicated to the general public through future press releases and relevant posters.
“For the purpose of emphasis, the Nigerian Army does not and will never carry out its medical outreaches or vaccination exercises for that matter in schools.
“We can therefore categorically inform the public that the ongoing rumours about Nigerian Army Personnel going round schools in military camouflage to forcefully immunize school children are not true and should therefore be discountenanced with,” the army said in a statement seen by Legit.ng.
The statement urged members of the public to call 09072509436-8 to report any case of any impostor(s) that may be seen trying to commit such atrocities.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian army has officially ended its military operation in the southeast code named Operation Python Dance II.
This was made known by the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 82 Division Nigerian Army, Major General Adamu Baba Abubakar.
Abubakar who made the announcement on behalf of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General TY Buratai, formally declared the end of the operation on Saturday, October 14, in Sector 1 Tactical Headquarters at Umuahia, Abia state.
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Source: Legit.ng
