The director of information at Defence Headquarters has said the Taraba government is playing politics by maligning the military with false information about troop withdrawal.
Col John Agim told the National Daily on Monday that the military has never withdrawn any troop from the state since the intervention began.
“The military has always been there, and will be there till May 14,” Agim told the newspaper.
Agim was particular about the chairman of a LGA whom he said was politicising the matter, and was never in support of the military staying there.
“When we were there, they said we were colluding,” he said, referring to a statement by ex-Defence Minister Theophilus Danjuma.
The retired general said the military was aiding the violent herdsmen in the state.
“Now they said we withdrew them. It is unfortunate,” Agim said.
“They don’t want the military there; that’s why they are maligning us.”
The Chairman of Donga Local Government Council, Nashuka Ipeyen, had said that soldiers deployed to troubled spots in the local government were pulled out few days ago.
He contacted the Commanding Officer, 93 Battalion Ada Barack Takum, Lt. Col. Ibrahim Gambari who, he said, told him he ordered the withdrawal of the soldiers.
“The Commanding Officer insisted that he was withdrawing the soldiers until the state government write an undertaking that it will take responsibility if any of the soldiers is attacked or killed,” said Ipeyen.
“I don’t know why the state government would have to do that for the soldiers when the attackers are killing civilians on daily bases.”
Since President Muhammadu Buhari visited the state in March, violence by herdsmen has been escalating.
Last Wednesday, the attack spilled overnight to a local government in Benue where dozens of people were killed.