A few days ago, a video snippet went viral on social media showing the Nigerian Defence Minister, Bashir Magashi, boarding a black Sports Utility Vehicle with an AK-47 rifle strapped across his shoulder despite the fact that he had a military aide with him.
Ever since the video surfaced, it has got tongues wagging on the internet as some online commenters noted that the defence minister’s action was probably due to the high rate of insecurity in the country.
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However, the Nigerian Army via its verified Facebook page has tagged the viral video as ‘fake news’. The Army stated that the video was made to demean the minister of defence.
“The attention of the Nigerian Army has been drawn to a falsified Social Media post aimed at demeaning the Honorable Minister of Defence. The Army wishes to state that the person in the video is not the Honorable Minister of Defence,” the simply Army stated.