Military Moves to Secure Nation’s Territory Ahead of Elections

•Army chief directs GOCs to ensure conducive, secure atmosphere 

•Navy mounts surveillance in waterways

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

Military service chiefs, yesterday, began moves to maintain the territorial integrity of the country ahead of the February 25 and March 11 general election. In furtherance of this objective, Chief Army Staff, Lt Gen Faruk Yahaya, directed all General Officers Commanding (GOCs) and other formation commanders of the Nigerian Army (NA) to ensure conducive and secure atmosphere in their Areas of Responsibility (AOR) for the successful conduct of the coming 2023 elections.

Handing down similar orders, Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, charged navy commanders to embark on sustained surveillance of Nigerian waterways to forestall breakdown of law in the maritime environment before, during, and after elections.

The army chief issued the directive while formally flagging off Operation Safe Conduct in all Nigerian Army Divisions and formations across the country.

Yahaya reiterated the resolve of the Nigerian Army to strictly adhere to its constitutional role by supporting the Nigeria Police, which is the lead security agency in the 2023 elections security architecture.

He charged the commanders to identify and dominate flashpoints in their AORs, adding that troops must be alert, proactive and operate jointly with sister services and other security agencies during the elections.

The COAS directed the commanders to deploy requisite logistics to ensure security and safety of citizens during the elections. He urged them to be professional, apolitical and adhere strictly to extant code of conduct and Rules of Engagement guiding personnel throughout their operations.

Warning that any infraction on the provisions of the code of conduct would not be treated lightly, he maintained that all deployments must be joint and in support of the Nigeria Police. He observed that all eyes were on the security agencies, and that the citizens expected nothing short of free and fair elections.

“You must, therefore, refrain from hobnobbing with political gladiators and maintain your apolitical stance,” Yahaya stated.

The COAS had recently, in an effort to ensure that the laws of the land and personal liberties and rights of citizens were not compromised, approved the Code of Conduct and Rules of Engagement for Nigerian Army personnel during Operation Safe Conduct 2023.

The Nigerian Navy also began surveillance and intelligence-driven operations across the country’s maritime environment and waterways.

Gambo, who charged navy commanders to embark on sustained surveillance, explained that the operations were to forestall the breakdown of law in the maritime environment before, during, and after elections.

He said facilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as well as citizens in the maritime environment must be secured against attacks. He added that an intelligence brief was given to the commanders to enable them effectively tackle the challenges ahead.

Yahaya stated, “The election scheduled to hold in 11 days’ time, is staring at us. Therefore, adequate preparations are key to the overall outcome of the election. We are all aware of the dynamics of the security of our political environment and, therefore, continual reappraisal and adjustment where necessary, particularly on strategies and tactics, notwithstanding, the intelligence brief received today.”

In his own remarks, the naval boss said, “The brief should help us to speed up our efforts to the emerging challenges and spur us into action for a successful 2023 elections.

“You are to ensure that personnel embark on intelligence-led operations before, during, and after elections so that law-abiding Nigerians would have the confidence to vote.”