General Officers Commanding (GOCs) and other formation commanders of the Nigerian Army have been ordered by Lt. Gen. Faruk Yahaya, Chief of Army Staff, to establish a favorable and secure environment in their jurisdictions for the smooth conduct of the 2023 elections.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Brig. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, Director, Army Public Relations, stated that Gen. Yahaya issued the order while officially kicking off Operation Safe Conduct in all Nigerian Army divisions and formations across the nation.
He claims that the Army chief reaffirmed the Nigerian Army’s steadfast commitment to scrupulously uphold its constitutional responsibilities by assisting the Nigeria Police, which is the principal security organization for the 2023 elections.
He instructed the commanders to locate and control potential flash points in their respective domains, stressing that during the elections, the troops needed to be vigilant, pro-active, and working with other security agencies.
Yahaya urged the commanders to be professional, apolitical, and to strictly abide by the existing code of conduct and rules of engagement guiding personnel throughout their operations while giving them instructions to deploy the necessary logistics to ensure the security and safety of citizens during the elections. He issued a warning that any violation of the code of conduct’s rules would not be taken lightly.
In addition, the Chief of Army Staff insisted that all deployments must support the Nigeria Police and be joint in nature. He said that the public expects nothing less than free and fair elections and that all eyes are on the security agencies.
“You must, therefore, refrain from hobnobbing with political gladiators and maintain your apolitical stance,” he averred.
As part of the initiative to protect people’ rights and personal liberties during elections, PULSENETS recalls that Lt. Gen. Faruk Yahaya recently approved the Code of Conduct and Rules of Engagement for Nigerian Army personnel during Operation Safe Conduct 2023.
