The military is restating its commitment to the Nigerian Constitution with a promise that it will remain apolitical and loyal to the civil authority and the President who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, who is the acting Director of Defence Information, made the pledge on behalf of the military in a statement on Monday. The pledge of loyalty followed comments by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Robert Clark, which the military said suggested that the current political leadership should hand over power to it for the purpose of restructuring.
While distancing itself from the comment, the military pledged that it would continue to discharge its constitutional responsibilities professionally, especially in protecting the country’s democracy, defence of its territorial integrity, as well as protecting the lives and property of the citizens.
It added that the current security challenges in the country were not insurmountable, saying the Armed Forces and other security agencies were working assiduously to ameliorate the problems.