Gen. Lucky Irabor, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), has debunked claims that the military’s approach to insecurity in Nigeria’s south-east is biased.
Gen. Irabor made the remarks while fielding questions from journalists at a press conference held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday.
In response to a question about why bandits in the northwest were negotiated with and repentant Boko Haram members were rehabilitated while military operations in the southeast were ramped up, the defence chief said that insecurity varies by region.
He denied that military engagements in the North are different from those in the South, particularly the southeast, and said he had led discussions with key stakeholders in the region.
In response to a question about the role of Islamic cleric Sheikh Gumi in the ongoing security operations in the Northeast, Gen. Irabor stated that the cleric is not a military employee.
He did add, however, that the military would not stop anyone from contributing to the fight against insecurity.
Gen Irabor said: “We do not believe that anyone who intends to be a part should be inhibited from playing the role he wants to play, but what is of interest for us is that, whatever you do must not be at cross opposites with the objectives of the mission itself.”
He appealed to Nigerians to use means, other than violence, to pass their views to the government.
The CDS warned: “If anyone thinks he can try the armed forces, let him engage in any form of criminality.”
Remember that the recent launch of ‘Operation Golden Dawn’ in the Southeast sparked accusations of bias in military operations across the country.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a banned group, condemned the move, calling it an attempt to intimidate the people of the region.
It is disgraceful, according to the group, that military operatives leave Northern Nigeria, which is ravaged by terrorism and banditry, to focus on the South-East and other southern regions.
