Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor has assured Nigerians that the Military will remain apolitical and act professionally as the country prepares for general election in 2023.
The CDS gave the assurance when the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) president, Yakubu Maikyau, led members of the association on a courtesy visit to the Defence Headquarters on Wednesday in Abuja.
General Irabor noted that the military would work in partnership with the Nigeria Police, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other security agencies to ensure safety, free and credible election as police remains the lead agency in this regard.
Irabor said by virtue of our assessment, the armed forces have been able to put in place a contingent that will enable the military to be of assistance to the police if the need arises.
According to him: “I’m hopeful that as we continue on this path, partnering with organisations such as yours, the NBA, the future remains very bright for the armed forces, and to the greater good of Nigeria .
“Our involvement in internal security operations may not be the best for our democratic setting but of course because of the dynamics of the challenges that we face, it has become incumbent on us by virtue of the constitutional provisions that empowered Mr president to direct us to be part of the security provision within the internal space as we find it currently.
“That we will continue to do but we will like to assure you that in no distant time given the result that we have gotten thus far that we will see a gradual reduction of the military in internal security space giving room for the police and other civil establishments o show greater prominence in addressing all security concerns in the country.
“We are hoping that never again will we have what we saw in the past where it was becoming as if the nation’s security architecture was greatly in peril to the extent that we almost become helpless.
“I am glad that there is reversal, we are making gains and we will continue to make the gains.
“I believe that under your leadership, the NBA will transform to such an extent that critical value addition will be noticed in the processes of adjudication of criminal justice in the light of terrorism, insurgency and other related cases so that there would be a huge value in content that would be brought into the orderly disposition of our country.
He said NBA truly remains the partner because what the lawyers are doing has a direct relationship with the defence and security of our nation.
On his part, the NBA president, Mr. Maikyau commended the Nigerian Military for its commitment in protecting the nation and paying the supreme sacrifice in the process pledged the Associations commitment to assist the Armed forces in anyway necessary.
Mr. Maikyau used the forum to applaud the virtues of the military and called on the society to assist the military in all their efforts towards restoring peace and unity across the country.
By PRNigeria