Army Chief Directs Commanders To Ensure Conducive Atmosphere for Elections

The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya has directed all General Officers Commanding, GOCs and other Formation Commanders of the Nigerian Army, NA, to secure their Areas of Responsibility for the successful conduct of the coming elections.

General Yahaya gave the directive while formally flagging off the commencement of Operation SAFE CONDUCT in all NA Divisions and formations across the country.

He reiterated the unwavering resolve of the Army to strictly adhere to its constitutional role by supporting the Police, which is the lead security agency in the 2023 elections security architecture.

The Army Chief, therefore, urged the Commanders to identify and dominate flash points in their areas, calling on the troops to be more proactive and operate jointly with sister services and other security agencies during the elections.

Directing the Commanders to deploy requisite logistics to ensure the security and safety of citizens during the elections, General Yahaya urged them to be professional, apolitical and adhere strictly to the 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 would not be treated with levity, stressing that all deployments must be joint and in support of the Nigeria Police.”

General Yahaya said that all eyes were on the security agencies and that the citizens expect nothing short of free and fair elections.

“You must therefore refrain from hobnobbing with political gladiators and maintain your apolitical stance,” he stated.

The Army Chief recently approved the Code of Conduct and Rules of Engagement for Nigerian Army personnel during Operation SAFE CONDUCT 2023.

This is to ensure that the laws of the land and the personal liberties and rights of citizens are not compromised.

Mercy Chukwudiebere