The Military High Command says it won’t hesitate to use ‘strong force’ to subdue anyone that plans to disrupt or destroy the 2023 presidential and national assembly elections holding on Saturday, February 25, 2023.
Brig.-Gen. Tukur Gusau, the Acting Director, Defence Information, said this on Thursday, February 23, 2023, at Defence headquarters, Abuja during a press briefing.
Some of the security chiefs in attendance include the spokesperson of the Department of State Services (DSS), Peter Afunanya; the Public Relations Officers of Nigeria Police Force, Olumuyiwa Adejobi; NAF spokesman, Air Commodore Wap Maigida, among others, Daily Trust reports.
This is coming after President Muhammadu Buhari’s meeting with security chiefs on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, during the National Security Council meeting.
The security chiefs assured the president that the election would go as planned.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Army has deployed troops to vulnerable locations in some states ahead of the elections.
According to ThePunch, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Faruk Yahaya, is reported to have given a marching order to all commanders to identify such locations in their jurisdiction and take full control.
Military vehicles and personnel have been sighted in Lagos, Ogun, Borno, and the Federal Capital Territory.
The Nigerian Army has also release some hotlines to the public to report any suspicious act of violence by unscrupulous persons during the election.
In a statement on Tuesday, the army said the release of the hotlines is part of its move to support the police during the 2023 general elections.
