General Lucky Irabor who is the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), has declared that the personnel of the Nigerian Army would resist all pressures from politicians to compromise the 2023 general elections.
He also dismissed a report by an international medium alleging that the Nigerian Army was ‘conducting a secret, systemic and illegal abortions in the North-east, ending at least 10,000 pregnancies among women and girls.’
Irabor made these comments on Thursday during the weekly ministerial briefing organised by the presidential communication team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Responding to the call by the President on the Armed Forces to remain neutral in the conduct of the general elections, Irabor said, ‘The security agencies and the military constantly come under pressure to compromise elections through various financial inducements.
‘We call on Nigerians to anchor their trust in the military as they will continue to strive to maintain neutrality’
Providing updates on the activities of the military, Irabor assured that ‘security personnel are being trained to follow the codified rules of engagement before, during and after the elections.’
The CDS, who admitted that he could not completely rule out internal sabotage within the security system, asserted that efforts were in to weed out bad eggs, to ensure efficiency.
‘We have put in place all the necessary contingency plans to assist the police in the 2023 general elections as well as safeguard all critical national infrastructure.
‘We remained apolitical and subject to the civil authorities as stipulated in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We have continued to appeal to our people that the security agencies, like all the apparatuses of state, are not anti-people.
‘There is nothing like partisanship when you are talking about governance. Yes, during political campaigns, various political parties canvass for votes by selling their manifestos, but once a party wins and forms a government, it becomes a government of all of us. You don’t bring partisanship into governance,’ Irabor said.
Responding to questions on the activities of some members of the Army who sabotage their efforts, Irabor said that there would always be bad eggs in every human organisation.
He admitted that some of the soldiers caught in such unwholesome practices have been arrested and disciplined for various offences, including divulging codified information to adversaries and stealing of ammunition.
He, however, said some of the saboteurs have not been executed because their offences were considered minor.
He warned that the military would not hesitate to apply the rules of capital punishment of death by firing squad if the saboteurs continue in their evil ways.