Insecurity: CDS brainstorms with retired senior military officers in Ibadan 

The Chief of Defense Staff, (CDS) Gen. Lucky Irabor, has dismissed the claims that the military and other security agencies are working together with bandits in carrying out their attacks.

He made this known today June 24, 2021 during an interaction with retired senior military officers in the south west zone of the country, held at 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Ibadan.

Speaking with the retired officers, Gen. Irabor stated that it was preposterous to think that the military and other security agencies are conniving with bandits to carry out their attacks, adding that it was not impossible that the criminally minded individuals may take advantage of the technological tools available to them to perpetrate their evil acts.

He maintained that it was for that reason that the military, on a daily basis, is reassessing her personal engagements to ensure that these bad elements are exposed.

His words: “It is preposterous to think that the military and other security agencies are conniving with bandits. Do you connive with someone to take your life?”

“That of course, is a question that should dismiss that kind of allusination any day. All you need to know is that on a daily basis, because of the technological tools available to everyone of us, it is not impossible that the criminally minded individuals may take advantage of these tools.”

“And that is the reason on a daily basis, we are reassessing our personal engagements to ensure that not should our engagements be intelligence driven, we equally know that these bad elements who live amongst us need to be exposed.”

“And that is why we believe this kin o interaction is necessary. So, anyone who is allucinating with the idea that the military or other security agencies are conniving with bandits, I think the person needs to have himself checked.”

Speaking on the reason for the interaction with retired senior military officers in the south west, Gen. Irabor said: “We are here to tap from your wealth of experience and knowledge you have acquired while in service in order to move our nation forward, through tackling the issues of insecurity challenges the country is facing.”

“You know that currently there are various security issues, and we have identified our retired colleagues who of course are sold out, that is, we serving and those of them that are retired, we are all sold out to the unity, faith, peace and progress of our nation.”

“That speaks to their sense of patrotism and zeal. So, we believe in their retirement that, they will be better instruments of sensitization of those who live around them on issues bothering on peace and security. This interaction is actually for us to rub minds together; they will equally speak to us as to what they observe that we need to do and what we also observe that they need to do in their various communities all in the hope of improving the state peace across the country.”

“And we will after this southwest geo-political zone, also be going to other geo-political zones, and I think that we can only leverage on the wealth of experience they have to be able to do this, and I believe it will be better for everyone of us at the end of the day.”

Earlier in his remarks, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Maj. Gen. Gold Chibuisi, said the interaction was meant to brainstorm with the retired senior officers in order to see how they could discuss the security challenges in Nigeria, at a time when the nation is facing series of insecurity challenges.

“The platform is meant to brainstorm on ways to solve insecurity challenges battling the south west geo-political zone of the country.”

“Nigerian Army are fully engaged in combating the insecurity challenges facing the country, such as banditary, Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorist attacks, farmers and herders crisis, and various attacks, these attacks called for serious concerns for all Nigerians, and that is why we are all here today to discuss way forward on ways to proffer solutions to all these crisis.”

“I want to commend the Chief of Defence Staff, General Leo Irabo in his wisdom for organizing this platform so we can tap from the wealth of experiences of our retired senior officers, with the aim of fashioning out ways to tackle the insecurity challenges the country is currently facing.”

Also, the Chief of Defence Civil Defence Corporation, Rear Admiral Fredrick Ugo said, the current insecurity status in the country has reached a situation where all different stakeholders have to come together and brainstorm on the how to put an end to it.

“And with gathering with the retired senior military officers in the southwest zones, and with their wealth of experience in service, they are expected to be able to provide ways to security issues in their areas, domains, and at large, in other parts of the country.”