The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor has assured President Muhammadu Buhari of the loyalty of the Armed Forces to him and his government.
Irabor gave the assurance at a one-day National Defence and Security Summit with the theme: “Promoting Kinetic Operations as a major Plank for Counter Terrorism and Counter Insurgency in Nigeria” on Monday in Abuja.
The CDS said that the military had restrategised to implement the mandate of the President for action to immediately stabilise the situation.
He assured that the military would enhance its kinetic operations in dealing with the prevailing security challenges confronting the nation.
According to him, the Armed Forces were committed to ensuring the return of peace to different parts of the country being confronted by insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and other forms of security challenge.
Irabor said that defence and security were universally considered as common but existential values that affect the entire nation.
In addition, he said the summit would seek to discuss how to promote kinetic operations by leaders and eminent personalities in the Nigerian society who would contribute their narratives towards addressing the security challenges.
He said it is no longer news that the nation experiences a wide range of national security threats including terrorism, insurgency, farmers/herders conflict, ethno-religious conflicts, kidnapping and banditry.
“However, the threats had posed immediate and present danger to the corporate existence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity, stability and sustainable development of the nation.
“Our strategic objectives are manifold and imbued to neutralise non-state-actors and other agents of violence in our communities, forests and countryside to stabilise the security situation across the nation, to facilitate law and order; and lastly to provide the enabling environment for peace and development.
“These presuppose that the military would need support from other security agencies during the operations and would be required to give support to others at different stages of the internal security effort.
“On behalf of the officers and men/women of the armed forces, I pledge our unalloyed loyalty to C-in-C and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The mandate shall be delivered; fear and despair shall be extinguished from our land. Nigeria will have peace again,” he said.
