By ZAKAA LAZARUS
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has refuted a viral video making the rounds on socia media which falsely claims that the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General OO Oluyed, announced plans to forcefully recruit Nigerians aged 18 and above into the military.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Samaila Uba, described the video as “fake, malicious and mischievously cloned,” noting that it was deliberately created to defame the CDS and misrepresent the Nigerian Armed Forces.
According to the DHQ, no such statement was made by General Oluyede, any of the Service Chiefs, or any official of the Armed Forces of Nigeria. The military stressed that recruitment into its ranks has always been voluntary, attracting thousands of willing and patriotic Nigerians during each enlistment exercise.
The DHQ warned the public about the rising use of Artificial Intelligence tools in creating disinformation and malinformation, urging Nigerians to verify the authenticity of any statement or video before sharing.
“All official communications from the Chief of Defence Staff are issued exclusively through designated Defence Headquarters spokespersons and verified social media platforms,” the statement added.
Gen. Uba called on the public to disregard the fake video and avoid further dissemination of misleading content.
