General Lucky Irabor, the Chief of Defence Staff, made the announcement yesterday that elections will take place in every region of Nigeria and that the Armed Forces, Police, and other security agencies are prepared to defend democracy at any cost.
Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, the Acting Director of Defence Information, quoted the CDS as saying, “The Armed Forces of Nigeria is committed to strong and virile constitutional democracy,” urging Nigerians to disregard any threat that elections might not take place in some areas of the country. We are prepared to defend democracy at any cost and are extremely loyal to the Nigerian state.
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At a joint media briefing, the Acting DDI spoke alongside the spokespersons for the Nigerian Police Force, Department of State Service, DSS, Nigerian Air Force, and Nigerian Navy.
Gusau stated: “Operation Safe Conduct” for the elections had been activated to provide Armed Forces of Nigeria with guidance during the elections. “In conjunction with other security agencies, DHQ has established a monitoring team to oversee the process in FCT and the country’s six geopolitical zones.
“In a similar vein, operations centers have been established in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and 36 state capitals of the federation to act as quick response centers for all distress calls in the event of a disturbance during the election period.
He reiterated the CDS’s warning to undesirable parties that the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies were prepared to counteract any threats to peace and order.
Those who wish to disrupt public order during the general elections will be dealt with with severe force. Throughout the period, the Nigerian Armed Forces, or AFN, adequately informed its personnel of their expected roles.
The DSS, on the other hand, claimed that between Saturday, February 18, 2023, and Wednesday, February 22, 2023, its agents discovered and apprehended a large number of gunrunners with numerous quantities of arms and a cache of ammunition intended for bandits and criminals, evidently with the goal of preventing the peaceful conduct of the general elections.
Dr. Peter Afunnaya, the DSS’s spokesperson, made the following statement during the briefing: “The Service engaged in proactive and intelligence-led operations across the states to achieve the desired election environment.
For instance, on February 22, 2023, the Service carried out a legally authorized search on a property along Airport Road in the Nasarawa Local Government Area (LGA) of Kano State. It retrieved dangerous weapons from the aforementioned building during the operation, including a gun, daggers, swords, and jackknives.
The claim that the Service tried to intimidate a particular political party in that state is therefore false; if not, how did those weapons end up there? Are those materials for the campaign against violence?
“The DSS has provided equal opportunities for all political parties to engage in their lawful activities, whether in Kano or elsewhere. This can be stated without any ambiguity or contradiction.