The Chief of Army Staff, Maj.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has summoned the Principal Officers, General Officers Commanding (GOC), field and commanding officers for an emergency meeting over the prevailing security situations in the country, especially the rumoured coup threat and Niger Delta militancy.
After a brief introduction on the aim and purpose of the meeting on Friday at the Army Headquarters (AHQ), Abuja, Buratai entered into a closed door session that lasted for an hour with them.
“This is an impromptu meeting in view of the security challenges and we have to come together to rub minds on how we can handle the situation,” he said.
After the meeting, the GOC 1 Division, Nigerian Army Kaduna, Major General Adeniyi Oyebade, informed the media about the outcome of the crucial meeting.
Oyebade who spoke in the company of the GOC 82 Division Enugu, Major-General Ibrahim Attahiru, and GOC 7 Division, Maiduguri, Brigadier General Victor Ezugwu, said that one of the issues discussed was the rumoured plot for a coup d’etat against President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
He assured that the Nigerian army is completely loyal to the constituted authority and committed to upholding the country’s democracy and constitution.
He said: “The Chief of Army Staff summoned his top commanders across the Army for a quick meeting this morning. Essentially, the meeting was to review the security situation in the country and to also let us know some of the reorganisation that has taken place over the last few days.
“As you must have also heard in the last few days the rumours of coup or no coup. We want to assure all our citizens that the Army remains apolitical, our loyalty, allegiance to the constitutional authority of this land, the three branches of government, Mr President and Commander-in-Chief, our loyalty is unquestionable.
“We have decided long before now, since the beginning of the fourth Republic, to abide by our code of conduct and to remain subordinate to the civil authority, that has not changed and it will not change.”
In the wake of reports of a military coup threat, SIGNAL had exclusively reported on Thursday how President Buhari was thrown into panic, forcing him to quickly appoint a new Chief Security Officer.
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