Boko Haram: Buratai never sought spiritual backing - Lawyer speaks
- A lawyer had condemned reports making grounds that the Army chief called for spiritual warfare against terrorists in the northeast region
- The lawyer said that such report is malicious and not the true representation of remarks made by the Chief of Army Staff
- Emmanuel Ugochukwu said the Army chief never said that the insurgency in Nigeria can only come to an end through prayers
A civil rights lawyer, Emmanuel Ugochukwu, has dismissed reports by some section of the media which claimed Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, called for a spiritual attack against the members of Boko Haram terrorists in the northeast.
Ugochukwu said the Army chief never states that insurgency in Nigeria can only come to an end through prayers.
In a statement sent to Legit.ng Ugochukwu said the reports falsely quoting the Buratai as saying “terrorism and terrorist groups could not be eliminated alone by the military unless religious bodies and organisations in the country come to the forefront of the spiritual battle" is malicious.
Rubbishing such report, the civil rights lawyer said the publication was made with the sole intent of propagating “mischief”.
According to the legal practitioner, the COAS never in any way suggested using spiritualism to fight insurgency rather called on religious leaders to support the Nigerian Army in eradicating ideologies fuelling the insurgency in the country.
The lawyer urged Nigerians to ignore such misleading reports, especially at a time the Nigerian troops are coasting to victory.
"Now, if not for mischief, how does the headline justify the goal of the seminar organized by the Nigerian Army yesterday? How does the entire speech of the Army Chief amount to seeking prayers to fight a physical war as portrayed by the Punch?" Ugochukwu queried.
He said: "What the Army Chief stated clearly was that aside eliminating the insurgents in the battlefield their ideologies must also be killed spiritually. Ideology is not a physical realm, it is a thought process and you do not kill ideas or ideology by physical war."
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Buratai had said that Boko Haram terrorists fighting in the northeast cannot be defeated by warfare alone.
The Army chief further explaining his comments said the ideologies of the terrorists are their driving force for the attacks against humanity.
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Source: Legit.ng
