Alleged coup: Service chiefs pledge loyalty to FG again, unveil new strategies at 100 days in office
- The service chiefs have pledged their loyalty to Nigeria's President Buhari amid alleged plots to overthrow the government
- The military officers during a press briefing on Wednesday, May 5, dissociated themselves from such calls
- The chief of naval staff, however, assured Nigerians that the military is making huge efforts to tackle insecurity in the country
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The service chiefs have again pledged loyalty to the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and denied any plan to overthrow the government.
This confirmation came from the military officers during a press briefing with chief editors of top traditional and online media organizations in Nigeria, including Legit.ng’s editor-in-chief Akinyemi Akinrujomu on Wednesday, May 5.
Chief of Defense Staff, General Lucky Irabor said:
“The military is dissociating itself from such calls,”
Source: UGC
The briefing which was tagged Open Ear Press Dialogue was also attended by the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo, and a representative of Chief of Air Staff Oladayo Amao. The Chief of Army Staff Ibrahim Attahiru was absent at the conference.
General Irabor, a former theatre commander of the Operation Lafiya Dole, noted that the briefing was to also have a feel of the opinions of the public about the military’s performance in securing the country in the last 100 days of being in office and how to improve going forward.
Also speaking at the event, Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Gambo assured Nigerians that the military is making huge efforts to tackle the current high level of insecurity in the country which also affects military personnel.
He revealed that one of the strategies the military will take to stem the flow of arms which increases insecurity in Nigeria is to return Navy presence to the sea ports.
“Navy wants to get back to the ports where we have been absent from for about 3 decades. Across the globe, it is the norm for there to be a naval post at sea ports if not national guards, “Gambo said.
With the naval presence, Vice Admiral Gambo is confident that importation of arms into the country through the sea ports to fuel insecurity would be curbed.
On the insurgency and banditry in the north, he explained that the military is working on a Marshall plan to prepare the police and officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to take over and hold grounds won in battle by the armed forces.
Vice Admiral Gambo noted that the service chiefs have been working more and talking less but now need to feel the pulse of the nation on their results in the last 100 days.
Gambo explained:
“We have been doing more action, less talk based on the directive of Mr. President and the Chief of Defense Staff.”
Air Marshall Amao assured Nigerians through his representative that the military, specifically the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), is acquiring the necessary equipment to tackle insurgency and banditry.
“We are taking delivery of platforms such as the JF17 Thunder, special UAVs and the Super Tucanos. Air Marshall Amao is firming up arrangements for the reception of the Tucanos,” he revealed.
On the recent NAF Alpha fighter jet that crashed in the Sambisa Forest, Amao explained that investigations are ongoing into the incident by the accident bureau and it would be premature to release an official statement that may later be withdrawn.
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported earlier that the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) warned soldiers and politicians against any plots to overthrow President Buhari’s regime.
The spokesperson for the DHQ, Brig-Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, gave the warning in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, May 3, PR Nigeria reported.
Nwachukwu said the military learnt about a statement suggesting that current political leadership should hand over power to the military for restructuring.
Source: Legit.ng
