The Minister of Defence Major General Bashir Salihi Magashi (rtd) has disowned a statement in an online report crediting him with saying that “it is an insult to have a known drug Lord as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.’
Saying that it is not only a “fake story” but “unfounded and spurious,” the Defence Minister noted that “it is a condemnable act of the stock in trade of some disgruntled elements trying to drag his reputation and that of the nation’s “apolitical Military” into a politically motivated media hype aimed at disparaging the personality of the President-Elect, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
The Minister stated that “no propaganda, blackmail or fake news targeted at him and the Military will deter the Armed Forces from dealing decisively with any person or group whose agenda is to disrupt the sacrosanct May 29th date for the handing over of power to the President-Elect.”
A statement on Saturday by Mohammad Abdulkadri, Special Assistant to the Minister of Defence, titled ‘FAKE NEWS; RE-KNOWN DRUG LORD AS C-IN-C, AN INSULT TO MILITARY…….MINISTER OF DEFENCE DISTANCES SELF FROM DRUG LORD STORY, SAYS IT’S FAKE, FALSE, General Magashi’ sake the story lacks “rationality and believability.”
The full statement reads: “The attention of the Minister of Defence Maj Gen Bashir Salihi Magashi (rtd) CFR has been drawn to an online fake story credited to him as shown below:
“General Magashi described the above statement as unfortunate, unfounded and spurious. He said the myopic, diabolic and despotic publication can be traced to the stable of the agents of antidemocratic forces who are masquerading as politicians.
“The Minister said it is a condemnable act of the stock in trade of some disgruntled elements trying to drag his reputation and that of the nation’s “apolitical Military” into a politically motivated media hype aimed at disparaging the personality of the President-Elect, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Again, the story accordingly cannot pass the test of reasonability, reality, rationality and believability as it was dead on arrival. After all it was not a happenchance that the Minister is vindicated by being the first member of the Federal Executive Council, FEC to congratulate the President-elect in a widely circulated and verifiable measures in the media.
“General Magashi pointed out that it is an exercise in futility to concoct false news against a man of proven integrity like him to be derided at this crucial time when he is busy supervising the constitutional role of the Military in aid of civil authority to defend the nation’s democracy. “It is therefore a bad market for the paid hack-writer whose adventurism for money spinning fake news business is capable of undermining selfless service to the nation.
“The Minister’s unblemished pedigree speaks volume as a highly respected loyal member of APC alongside being a credible elder stateman in the same party with the President-Elect. He said no propaganda, blackmail or fake news targeted at him and the Military will deter the Armed Forces from dealing decisively with any person or group whose agenda is to disrupt the sacrosanct May 29th date for the handing over of power to the President-Elect.”