Amid the worsening insecurity across the country, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor has assured Nigerians that the 2023 general elections will hold.
There have been serious concerns by Nigerians as to whether the polls will be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) across the country as terrorists and bandits keep having a field day despite repeated assurances by the Federal Government to tackle insecurity.
But speaking during a media parley on Tuesday at the defence headquarters in Abuja, General Irabor said the military will do everything possible to ensure that nothing stops the poll from holding.
The Defence Chief also reiterated the commitment of the military to protecting the democratic ideals in Africa’s most populous nation.
According to him, the military has made a covenant to protect Nigeria’s democracy and it has not changed its position.
The parley is meant to solicit the support of the media organisations towards tackling the security challenges in the country.
It is the second in the series of engagements between the chief of defence staff and executives and editors of media organisations in Nigeria.
He also used the opportunity of the briefing to reveal that the assailants linked to a suspected terror attack on the Saint Francis Catholic Church in Owo two months ago have been arrested.
Though he did not reveal the number of arrested suspects, Irabor stated that the attackers were arrested during joint operations involving the Armed Forces, the Department of Security Services (DSS) and the police.
Meanwhile, the Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, on Tuesday confirmed the arrest of five suspected attackers of St Francis Catholic Church in the Owo area of the state.
According to the Governor, recent reports from victims of kidnap in the state have established that some Ebira indigenes are now involved in the unwholesome act.
He therefore called on leaders of the Ebira community in the state to warn their young ones not to copy the bad venture of kidnapping.
According to him, recent reports from victims of kidnap in the state have established that some Ebira indigenes are now involved in the unwholesome act.
He noted that the Ebiras have lived together with the people of the state peacefully for several decades, adding that they have always been supportive and hardworking.
The governor stated: “I want to use this medium to urge our brothers to concentrate on their farming trade. It will be unfortunate to know that the Ebiras in our midst are now involved in kidnapping.
“We are appealing to them not to copy bad things. The traders selling by the roadside should not become informants. We are not fighting them.
“We have seen their numbers, they supported and voted for us during elections. I will call their leaders and talk to them. Our brothers who were kidnapped on their way to Ikare, talk to them. They were taken to Ebira farmsteads.
“For me, we have lived together for too long for this to happen. I am ready to make any effort to ensure that the conviviality that we have enjoyed continues. But we are begging their leaders to urge them not to copy bad things. They are in our midst, we are surrounded by them. The issue of security is key and it’s dynamic.”
Channels Television