Director, Media Operations, DHQ,, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba
The Defence Headquarters, on Thursday, refuted allegations made against the military by the Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal.
Lawal had on June 11 in an interview on Channels Television lamented the laid-back attitude of the police and the military in combating banditry plaguing the North-West state.
He said the uninspiring attitude of the Federal Government-controlled security agencies was responsible for the creation of the state security outfit, Community Protection Guards, in January.
Speaking at the Defence Headquarters bi-weekly briefing, the Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, however, said the military high command would refrain from engaging in verbal disputes with the governor, as the service remained loyal to political leadership.
“On the other hand, the attention of the Defence Headquarters has been drawn to weighty allegations against the Armed Forces of Nigeria by the Zamfara State Governor in a recent interview on Channels TV.
“The AFN hereby makes it unequivocally clear that it is a professional force that is subservient to political authority, particularly the political leadership of Zamfara State.
“The military will not take issues with the governor, rather we choose the path of cooperation over conflict with the state governor and look forward to constructively engaging with him on these matters.”
Buba said the military had been relentless in the fight against criminals in the state, adding that no fewer than nine soldiers were killed in June in Zamfara State.
The involvement and casualty on the part of the military, Buba said, showed the level of commitment exhibited by the military in restoring peace in the state.
“Troops of Operation Hadarin Daji deployed in Zamfara State have lost nine personnel so far in June 2024. These killed-in-action personnel are a painful testament to our tireless efforts, commitment and sacrifice to restoring peace and security in the state,” he said.
The military spokesman called for an impartial analysis of the allegations levelled against the military and other security agencies by the governor.
Buba stated that winning the war against insecurity without the support of the citizens was impossible.
“Nevertheless, the allegations against the military and security forces operating in the state need to be analysed impartially and understood. The situation underscores the fact that winning the war without the support of the people of the state is close to impossible,” he said.
Buba lamented that the state had no internal security outfit coordinating the activities of security agencies, despite being the epicentre of kidnappings in the zone.
“Interestingly, despite the state being described as the epicentre of kidnapping, Zamfara has no internal security operation outfit to coordinate the activities of security agencies, as is found in other states. This situation leaves much to be desired.
“Overall, the military will continue to work tirelessly to restore safety and security across our nation. Certainly, there is still a lot of fighting to do, to guarantee the safety of our homeland,” Buba noted.
Speaking on the killing of soldiers in Aba, Abia State, Buba noted that many suspects had been arrested in connection with the killing, adding that those found culpable were being detained.
“A sequel to the killings of five personnel at the checkpoint in Abia, troops conducted several intelligence-based operations that led to the discovery and destruction of several IPOB/ESN terrorist camps across the region, such as at Igboro Forest in Arochukwu LGA of Abia State, among others.
“Several arrests were made from the raids with those found to be culpable still in detention. Surely, there is intelligence value to the raids and arrests that were made. Those in detention are assisting troops to locate other camps, sleeper cells and high-profile individuals involved in the activities of the terrorist group,” he added.
Speaking on the achievements of the military in the week under review, Buba said 197 terrorists were killed and 310 suspects arrested.
“During the week under review, troops neutralised 197 and arrested 310 persons. Troops also arrested 22 perpetrators of oil theft and rescued 251 kidnapped hostages. In the South-South, troops denied the oil theft of the estimated sum of N765,654,100,” he said.
