The Defence Headquarters on Wednesday cautioned supporters of political parties and the media to desist from misusing images and visuals of military personnel.
It said the use of such unauthorised military wares does not only present the Armed Forces of Nigeria in bad light, but sows seeds of distrust and instability.
Director, Defence Information, Major General Jimmy Akpor, in a statement on Wednesday, said the video contents which is currently in circulation, sent a disturbing signal to members of the public and the political class in particular, as they seemingly connote partisanship by military personnel and by extension, the entire military establishment.
According to him, unknown individuals, took the video and superimposed different songs on the visuals, which soon went viral, thereby creating the odious impression that soldiers were promoting the candidacy of a particular politician while disapproving the other.
“Of the two video clips; one consciously portrays troops making merry and dancing to music purportedly in celebration and open endorsement of one presidential candidate in the forthcoming elections.
“The second video clip (with the same visuals as the first one) willfully shows troops supposedly dancing to a derogatory song that insults the personality of another presidential candidate,” he said.
According to him, on a closer scrutiny, however, it is obvious that the original visual content (which was used for the two videos) was manipulated to produce the current ones in circulation.
“The original soundtrack of the videos was a usual morale boosting song that soldiers sing during military exercises or activities,” he said.
He said while it is within the right of individuals to create media content for political purposes, it is grossly disingenuous to appropriate video of a military activity and use same to create contents that portray the military as partisan, political and unprofessional.
“This is particularly despicable as the nation prepares for the 2023 general elections. For 23 years since 1999, the military has toiled night and day to protect and keep guard over Nigeria’s democracy. Thus, the same military cannot afford to be partisan or commit to any enterprise that would create disharmony in the polity,” he said