General Lucky Irabor, Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), assured Nigerians yesterday that the armed forces will not betray public trust in their resolve to defend democracy.
Gen. Irabor reiterated the military’s determination to resist all pressures to compromise next year’s general election as he states that security agencies are constantly under pressure to undermine the electoral process, but the military has chosen to remain neutral.
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Gen. Irabor spoke at this week’s edition of the Presidential Communication Team’s ministerial briefing at the Presidential Villa Abuja.
The CDS stated that necessary measures have been put in place to ensure that the military follows President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive to maintain neutrality.
President Buhari directed the military to remain apolitical and work within the bounds of the Constitution in his remarks at the opening of the Chief of Army Staff’s Annual Conference in Sokoto.
He urged the Army to improve its human rights obligations during operations in accordance with global best practices, noting that personnel are being trained to be more professional, with the rules of engagement codified and distributed to them before, during, and after the elections.
Buhari called on the military to evolve enduring strategies that will consolidate their efforts in securing the country, “As a key element of our national power, the Nigerian Army will continue to be a major catalyst for our development especially by providing the needed aid to civil authority.
“This administration has therefore maintained a robust policy towards modernisation of the Nigerian Army and the Armed Force Forces in general.
“It is evident that the ongoing progressive modernization of the Nigerian Army under our administration has greatly improved the capabilities as well as combat efficiency of the service to discharge its roles.”
The CDS said of the presidential directive: “I’m glad that you reiterated the Commander-in-Chief‘s directive to the armed forces. I’m afraid you say you have a worry. Rather than worry, I would rather think that trust should be anchored. Why?
“Of course, there will always be pressure from all quarters, wanting to induce security forces, not just the military, the security forces, the police, and that’s what criminal enterprise is all about, that is what something that is wrong is all about.
“But what makes the difference is the professional approach to dealing with those issues and that’s what the military, we, are committed to doing.
“Now, the reason why we have ramped up our training in that regard, sensitization, a lot of engagement across the formations and units, is being undertaken and then more so to no articulate code of conduct for all our personnel, which has been done and distributed.
“So, how they should act before, during and after the elections, these are being codified in the SOP that have been issued to them. So, it remains the duty of the commanders to ensure that the directive as indicated and the contents of the SOP are adhered to by every personnel in the armed forces.
“So, please, cease from worrying, rather trust and also engage others to trust that we will keep faith to these desires.”
He stated that the armed forces have increased operational engagement across the country to combat contemporary and emerging threats, as well as developing contingency plans to support INEC and other security agencies in the conduct of the 2023 General Elections.
He highlighted the military’s key achievements in the effort to keep the country safe, including increased recruitment into all branches of the security services, the routing of insurgency and banditry, and the action to combat oil theft.
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He also stated that since 2014, over 300,000 people have been freed from the hands of abductors, and refugees who fled the Northeast due to the insurgency have begun to return.
Gen. Irabor also stated that the repentant insurgents who are currently being trained will graduate in February of next year before being reintegrated into society.
The CDS stated that the armed forces have strangled bandits’ supply chains and destroyed several hideouts in the fight against banditry.
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