All General Officers Commanding and other Formation Commanders of the Nigerian Army have been directed to ensure a conducive and secure atmosphere in their areas of responsibility before, during and after elections.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, gave this directive according to a statement released by the spokesperson for the service, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, recently.
He said the COAS announced the flag-off of Operation Safe Conduct across all divisions in the country.
Yahaya also ordered the commanders to identify and dominate flash points in their AoRs, adding that troops must be alert, proactive and operate jointly with the other security agencies.
It read in part, “Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya directed all General Officers Commanding and other Formation Commanders of the Nigerian Army to ensure conducive and secure atmosphere in their Areas of Responsibility for the successful conduct of the coming 2023 elections.
“Speaking further, the Army Chief reiterated the unwavering resolve of the NA 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 flash points in their AORs, adding that troops must be alert, proactive and operate jointly with sister services and other security agencies during the elections.”
The Army Chief while directing the Commanders to deploy requisite logistics to ensure security and safety of citizens during the elections, urged them to be professional, apolitical and adhere strictly to extant Code of conduct and Rules of Engagement guiding personnel throughout their operations.
He warned that any infraction on the provisions of the Code of conduct will not be treated with levity.
The Army chief maintained that all deployments must be joint and in support of the Nigeria Police.
