The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, in a statement on Wednesday, was reacting to Gumi’s allegations on ARISE TV Morning Show on Wednesday.
Nwachukwu said that the Nigerian Army remained a symbol of national unity that had discharged its constitutional responsibilities in the most professional manner in line with global best practices.
According to him, the sweeping allegation peddled by the scholar is not only sad and unfortunate, but a calculated attempt to denigrate the Nigerian military and undermine the sacrifices of our patriotic troops, who are working tirelessly to restore peace and stability across the country.
“It is essential to remind ourselves that this same military, being accused of connivance, are the ones who recently put their lives on the line to rescue abductees of the Government Secondary School, Birnin Yawuri from kidnappers.
“The provisions for dealing decisively with such acts are crystallised in Section 45 (1) of the Armed Forces Act CAP A 20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
The Army spokesperson also cautioned that patriotism be taken to a trajectory where subversive conversations on the state were brought to the barest minimum.
He also enjoined opinion leaders to demonstrate patriotism in building the peace, rather than being agents of desstabilisation by aggravating the current security challenges facing the nation.
“The NA wishes to reassure law abiding citizens, that troops will continue to conduct themselves professionally in consonance with the code of conduct guiding our operations in all combat engagements, in line with the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution and global best practice.
“Citizens are enjoined to continue to support military operations by providing useful information to defence and security agencies and together we shall rid our society of these criminal elements,” he said.
Culled from the Vanguard News Nigeria
