The Military High Command has described as “unnecessary” the security alarm raised by Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State ahead of the May 29 inauguration of President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Downplaying Governor el-Rufai’s alarm charging the military to step up its game as bandits could take advantage of the transition period to launch bloody attacks across the country, the Director of Defence Media Operation, Major General Musa Danmadami, said Nigerians had no cause to worry.
General Danmadami told journalists shortly after the bi-weekly press briefing at Defence Headquarters in Abuja that; “Just like the general elections have come and gone, winners have been announced, people are just being apprehensive by insinuating the security situations that are not there.”
The Army General, while recalling disturbing security advisories issued by the United States and the United Kingdom late last year, wondered why critical stakeholders have continued to make the Nigerian populace more apprehensive.
He said; “You will recall that there was a US advisory warning, but up till now, there is nothing to show that, and we are still waiting for the consequences. People have been predicting that this country would finish, but nothing has happened.”
According to him, the Nigerian Military was always ready to neutralize any threat, adding, “members of the Armed Forces, like I always tell you, will continue to be on standby, we are not resting on our oars to ensure that peace and security of this country are sustained.
“I can equally assure you that the intelligence community too are working round the clock just like the armed forces are also working round the clock to ensure that there is peace and tranquillity.”
The military’s spokesperson said there were a lot of follow-up operations on a daily basis after the just-concluded general elections and people moving ammunition from one point to another to go and commit havoc were being arrested.
“I can assure you that there are a lot of follow-up operations going on every day. People are being arrested, and people who are on the verge of trying to commit crimes are being arrested. People who are moving ammunition from one point to the other to go and commit havoc are being arrested every day, as was reflected in the brief for today.
“We are working round the clock, both the intelligence community and Nigeria’s Armed Forces of Nigeria are working round the clock to make sure we nip these things in the bud and if it happens, we respond to it appropriately.
“So, there should be no fear. People should not be afraid that when they hand over, there is going to be calamity all over the place. I can assure you that we are ready to address whatever calamity that wants to come up. We are ready for that.”
Insisting that there is no cause for alarm, General Danmadami said; “People should just go about their normal duties and forget about all this apprehension people are creating unnecessarily. There is no cause for alarm. Everything is under control.
“On the long holiday, as usual, there was no problem, Easter came and went the same thing, Sallah will come and go, and definitely there won’t be any problem. There may be one or two isolated cases, but they will definitely be addressed.”
While urging intelligence agencies to quickly expose those funding militant groups and by extension, terrorism, the Defence Spokesman said; “Funding of militant groups, there are a lot of schools of thought as per who is funding terrorism in Nigeria. I’ll allow the intelligence community to do that. That is not my job to do.”
Recalled that in raising the security alarm, Governor el-Rufai had tasked the Military to sustain simultaneous ground and air kinetic actions across the seven frontline states in the North-West zone and Niger State that have contiguous forest ranges and are most heavily impacted by security challenges.
The governor had explained that the operation is meant to prevent a dangerous lull during the transition period at the federal level, which the criminal outlaws could exploit.
