The Commander of 12 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Brig.-Gen. Kassim Umar-Sidi has expressed concern over negative reporting of military activities, saying it dampens the morale of soldiers.

Umar-Sidi made this remark during a courtesy visit by the Executive Council members of the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kogi.

He noted that soldiers are making sacrifices to defend the country, and negative perceptions or reports against them or the military in general undermine their efforts.

“Our officers and men are being killed in the sacrifice they are making to keep this nation safe,” Umar-Sidi said.

The Commander urged the public to avoid making derogatory remarks against Nigeria due to security challenges, emphasising that such comments are not encouraging to soldiers.

He advised Nigerians to put their heads together to solve the country’s challenges, rather than focusing on negative aspects.

Umar-Sidi commended the correspondents for their visit and pledged the command’s readiness to partner with them to publicise the brigade’s activities and efforts in securing Kogi State.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Correspondents Chapel, Mr Segun Salami, assured the Commander of the chapel’s readiness to partner with the military to give the command the desired publicity, noting that the 12 Brigade is doing a lot to combat kidnappers, bandits, and terrorists in Kogi, but such efforts are under-reported.