Army vows to deal with those declaring ethnic sovereignty

Independent

By Temidayo Akinsuyi

LAGOS – The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. -Gen. Ibrahim At­tahiru, has assured the nation that the Nigerian army would soon surmount attempts by some individuals to compromise the territorial integrity of the country by the declaration of sovereignty on behalf of ethnic nationalities in the country.

The army chief also prom­ised that the Nigerian army will deal decisively with every form of security threats con­fronting the nation.

Attahiru said these on Monday in Uyo at the first Commanding Officers’ Work­shop 2021 with the theme, ‘Repositioning the Nigerian Army to Defeat Contempo­rary Adversaries in a Joint Environment.’

“The Nigerian army under my leadership would remain proactive and jointly work with other security agencies to decisively deal with threats facing the nation.

“The Nigerian army under my watch remains resolute and is poised more than ever before to decisively deal with individuals or groups that threaten the peace, security and stability of our great na­tion,” he said.

In his remarks, Gov. Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom said the security challenges confronting the nation called for a military that was ready and equipped to face the prob­lems.

Emmanuel, who was rep­resented by the Deputy Gov­ernor, Mr. Moses Ekpo, urged the military to intensify and expand the strategies, tech­niques and tactics needed to contain all insecurity across the country.

He commended the vari­ous security agencies in the state for the synergy and har­monious working relation­ship among them which he said had brought about secu­rity in the state, and promised to continue to support them.

“With the security reali­ties confronting our nation, the military more than ever should be ready and equipped to face and confront these re­alities by ensuring that the service maintains the high­est possible standard of con­tinuous training for optional performance.

“It is reassuring that in spite of other operational commitments across the country, the new Chief of Army staff has considered it necessary to organise this workshop,” Emmanuel said.

Earlier in his address, the General Officer Command­ing 6th Division, Maj.-Gen. Sani Mohammed, said the workshop was the first major achievement of the chief of army staff.

He said that the work­shop was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that it was an opportunity to enhance training and build capacity for military officers.

Mohammed said that the workshop had participants drawn from the South-South region of the Nigerian army.

Reaffirming the Chief of Army Staff’s disclosure, Maj.- Gen. Lucky Irabor, Chief of Defence Staff, said on Monday that the military has conclud­ed plans to neutralise non-state actors and other agents of violence in the country.

While speaking at a one-day National Defence and Security Summit in Abuja, he said illegal occupants of communities, forests and countryside will be targeted so as to stabilise the country.

According to him, the mili­tary will ensure that the peace which eluded the country re­turns as soon as possible.

“Our strategic objectives are manifold and imbued to neutralise non-state actors and other agents of violence in our communities, forests and countryside to stabilise the security situation across the nation, to facilitate law and order; and lastly to pro­vide the enabling environ­ment for peace and develop­ment.

“These presuppose that the military would need support from other security agencies during the operations and would be required to give support to others at different stages of the internal security effort.

“On behalf of the offi­cers and men/women of the armed forces, I pledge our unalloyed loyalty to C-in-C and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The mandate shall be deliv­ered; fear and despair shall be extinguished from our land. Nigeria will have peace again,” the CDS said.

He stressed that the Armed Forces were committed to en­suring the return of peace to different parts of the country being confronted by insur­gency, banditry, kidnapping and other forms of security challenge.

The military chief noted that defence and security were universally considered as common, but existential values that affect the entire nation.

He added that the summit was organised to seek to dis­cuss how to promote kinetic operations by leaders and eminent personalities in the Nigerian society who would contribute their narratives to­wards addressing the security challenges.

This news originally appeared on Independent.