The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, on Monday urged troops to clamp down on activities of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its splinter groups to prevent disruption of the forthcoming elections.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, on Monday urged troops to clamp down on activities of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its splinter groups to prevent disruption of the forthcoming elections.
Buratai, who gave the directive in Abuja, when he declared open the 2019 first quarter Chief of Army Conference, accused the banned group of planning to disrupt the election.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that this year’s conference was tagged “the Chief of Army Staff Operations Conference.’’
According to him, activities of IPOB were gaining momentum ahead of the election.
“Their excesses must, therefore, be curtailed immediately,’’ he said.
The Federal Government, in September 2017 through an Executive Order of President Muhammadu Buhari, outlawed the Indigenous People of Biafra and its activities in every part of the country.
The Federal High Court in Abuja, thereafter gave judicial backing to the Executive Order.
The Acting Chief Judge of the Court, Justice Abdu Kafarati, granted the order proscribing the group.
The court declared that activities of the group constituted acts of terrorism and illegality.
The army chief also noted that the political clashes in Taraba and a few other states, called for enhanced liaison between commanders, the police and other security agencies.
He reminded them of events in the 2015 general elections, which subsequently led to the “sad exit of some fine officers, who were found culpable.’’
“I, therefore, enjoin you all to impress on your personnel to avoid a repeat of such occurrences,’’ he said, noting that the army’s role in support of the nations’ democracy “cannot be over-emphasised.’’
