Crime
Military monitors anti-government, anti-military Information comments
In order to regulate the abuse of social media by Nigerians posting hate speech, anti-government and anti-security information, the military have sharpened its intelligence hunt down abusers.
The Director, Defence Information, Major-General John Enenche, disclosed to Channels TV on Wednesday, explaining that the measure became necessary in light of troubling activities and misinformation capable of jeopardizing the unity of the country.
National Daily recalls that 48 hours after President Muhammadu Buhari lambasted the social media during a nationwide broadcast for uncomplimentary remarks about him while on medical vacation in the United Kingdom, the military are taken measure to deal with unsavory comments.
According to Major General Enenche, the social media has always been a challenge all over the world and for the military, it is no different.
“It is a double-edged sword and we are also having a bit of it. Imagine when the President came back and addressed the nation, not up to 30 minutes later, a fake speech of the Commander-In-Chief was being circulated in order to do what?
To derail the people. If you are not very sharp and if you didn’t listen to the speech or you don’t have a copy of it like I had it almost immediately, you wouldn’t know. So, looking at it from that perspective, it is a challenge everywhere.”
He reiterated that considering that the social media can be misused, the military has taken bold steps to address that and ensure that establish strategic media centres.
“What are we doing? In the military, we are now taking on it more seriously than ever. We have our strategic media centres that monitor the social media to be able to sieve out and react to all the ones that will be anti-government, be anti-military, (and) be anti-security,” the DDI added.
Gen Enenche further stated that “We tackle them appropriately with appropriate responses. Ahead of that, we are also proactive. We have measures in place, scientific measures to be able to sieve this information and also to get the public and let them know that some of this information they are getting is not genuine and their objective is an anti-corporate existence of this country.”
On attacks by Boko Haram, Gen Enenche added that there has been a rise in attacks by Boko Haram terrorists and it is one of the things the President advised the service chiefs to checkmate.
He said, “Like I have said before, it is not unexpected being that they have been degraded, decimated and really busted at camp zero and other cities there through the air bombardment and raids by members of the military, particularly the army. So you will see them spreading out like ants that have been busted from an anthill.”
According to him, the terrorists have benefitted in their attacks from the unending collaboration by insiders and sympathisers among the residents in the North East.