THE Nigerian Army has ruled out the possibility of a coup d’etat in the country, assuring that it is dedicated to standing by democracy.
The Chief of Defence Staff – CDS, General Christopher Musa, gave the assurance while speaking with journalists during his first official visit to 6 Division of the Nigerian Army Headquarters in Port Harcourt.
“We want Nigerians to be assured that the Armed Forces of Nigeria is here for them, we are here to protect them; we are here to protect democracy and ensure that democracy thrives,’’ General Musa said.
“They should exercise no fear; we have had a number of coups in countries around Nigeria – we had Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. I know there were a lot of apprehensions, I want to assure everyone that the Armed Forces of Nigeria is dedicated, committed in ensuring, in securing, supporting and standing by democracy,” he added.
The CDS also disclosed some measures put in place to curb oil theft in the Niger Delta region, adding that President Bola Tinubu has approved some funds to get equipment that will help the military in the fight against oil theft.
“The President has equally approved some funds for us to buy enablers to assist us in fighting this menace of crude oil theft and criminality. We are going to leverage a lot on technology; that will give us a lot of leverage.
“We want to appeal to all those criminals doing those things that we are coming after them, it is good, it is wise for them to stop. The military is dedicated to ensuring that we restore peace. We want the crude oil production in Nigeria to grow so that Nigerians can enjoy the dividends of democracy.”
