Social media activist Justice Crack has rejected allegations made by the Defence Minister over a viral military feeding video.
Social media activist Mark Justice, popularly known as Justice Crack, has denied allegations by the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, that he instructed Nigerian soldiers to remove meat from their meals to make the food appear inadequate in a viral video.
Justice Crack’s response followed comments made by the minister during a television interview, where he dismissed claims of poor feeding in the military and accused the activist of staging the video, saying the soldiers’ food was okay and had meat and other items, but that the activist had told them to remove those things to make it appear as though they weren’t there.
Reacting in a statement on Thursday, Justice Crack described the allegation as false and defamatory, insisting he had no authority to direct serving military personnel.
He said the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd), lied during the interview when he claimed that he, JusticeCrack, instructed military officers to remove meat and other items from their meals to make the food appear inadequate.
He said he never told any military officer to remove meat or anything else from their food, questioning what authority he had to give such an instruction, noting that he is not a General, Commander, or Colonel, and has no military background whatsoever, adding that there was no reason he would instruct serving military personnel to do such a thing.
The activist maintained that he never approached military personnel, saying instead that some officers had reached out to him to complain about their welfare.
He said in good faith, he made a video to raise awareness so that military authorities could pay attention to the welfare of officers and men serving the country, stressing that his intention was simply to advocate for better working conditions, improved welfare, and better living conditions for those who defend Nigeria.
Justice Crack said the minister’s comments had the potential to damage his reputation, describing it as deeply painful and, in his view, defamatory for the minister to make such a statement about him on national television without presenting any evidence, adding that such a statement could damage his reputation and misrepresent his intentions before the Nigerian public.
He reiterated that his advocacy had always focused on accountability and improved welfare for security personnel, stating clearly that he, Mark Chidiebere Justice, popularly known as JusticeCrack, never instructed any military officer to remove meat or any other item from their food, and that his advocacy has always centred on accountability, better welfare for security personnel, and good governance, adding that the statement was made solely to correct the record and inform the Nigerian public of the true position.
It was earlier reported in May that Justice Crack was remanded in prison custody after being arraigned over a viral video allegedly criticising the Nigerian Army’s feeding arrangements.
The activist was charged with alleged cyber-related offences, with one of the charges accusing him of circulating false information through his social media handle regarding the alleged inadequate feeding of Nigerian Army personnel.
The charge reads in part that he circulated information to the public through his social media handle regarding alleged inadequate feeding of Nigerian Army personnel, which he knew to be false but posted for the purpose of causing annoyance, ill will, and hatred, contrary to and punishable under Section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, as amended.