The General Officer Commanding (GOC), 81 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Babalola Adebayo, has urged defence correspondents to seek clarification from the Army before publishing information that could be inaccurate or misleading.

 Adebayo made the call when members of the Association of Defence Correspondents of Nigeria (ADCON) paid a courtesy visit to the division’s headquarters.

 He said a strong working relationship between the military and the media was essential to ensuring accurate and balanced reporting of security operations.

“You are one of the most important sectors that we, the military, must partner with. Balancing reportage is very key. Bad news goes faster,” he said.

 The GOC said negative reports about security operations often attracted greater public attention and could continue to circulate even after circumstances had changed.

 He urged journalists to look beyond isolated incidents and consider the wider security situation when reporting military operations.

 According to him, defence correspondents should approach the division whenever they required clarification about its activities.

 “Our doors are open. Rather than carrying the wrong narrative, you can anytime ask us, ‘This is what we had’ or ‘This is what we want to do.’ Then we will give you our own side of the story. Then you can now balance it for us,” Adebayo said.

 He promised that the division would make senior and experienced officers available to engage with journalists, adding that regular interaction would help both sides understand their respective responsibilities and improve the quality of security reporting.

 Adebayo also said the security situation had improved “tremendously” in the past three to four months.
 He urged the media to reflect the development in their reports while continuing to scrutinise the military and hold it accountable.

 The GOC said journalists also needed to understand the difficult conditions under which troops operated, noting that many soldiers served in challenging environments to protect citizens and safeguard national security.

“We should look at the bigger picture,” he said, stressing that members of the armed forces were Nigerians who had chosen to serve across the country out of patriotism and a commitment to protecting lives and property.

 Earlier, ADCON Chairman, Philip Nwosu, said the visit was aimed at strengthening the relationship between defence correspondents and the military.

  Nwosu said members of the association remained committed to accurate and balanced reporting of military activities while retaining their responsibility to hold public authorities accountable for their actions and inactions.

  He said sustained engagement between the military and the media would promote mutual understanding, reduce misinformation and improve national security reporting.

 Senior officers of the 81 Division attended the meeting.