[Red Alert!] March Across 36 States by Nigerian Military: Sabre rattling or setting the stage for a military takeover?

[Red Alert!] March Across 36 States by Nigerian Military: Sabre rattling or setting the stage for a military takeover

Arewa terrorists begins FAILED attempt to takeover Nigeria

The Nigerian military is making plans to march across the current 36 states of Nigeria. This move which is an overt attempt to intimidate Biafrans is either a sabre rattling effort or military takeover coated in simple exercise.

Troops will, starting tomorrow, move across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, in support of the Nigerian Constitution and democracy, the Defence Headquarters announced yesterday.

The march for democracy according to the Director of Defence Information, Major Gen John Enenche, would involve the Nigerian Army, The Nigerian Air Force, The Nigerian Navy, The Nigerian Police Force, The Brigade of Guards, The Department of States Security, DSS, The National Intelligency Agency, The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC).

Others are the Nigerian Customs Service, The Nigerian Immigration Service, the Nigerian Prisons Service, the Nigerian Civil Defence and Security Corps, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, and the Federal Fire Service.

The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA would not be left out in the march which Major Gen. Enenche, said would hold quarterly henceforth.

Enenche however did not mention whether the march was in response to the tension generated in the polity following the alert sounded by the Chief of Army Staff, Gen Tukur Buratai that some civilians were approaching soldiers for selfish political interests, nor was it in response to the quit notice given to the Igbo ethnic group by the Arewa Youth Forum.

Major Gen. Enenche who addressed journalists as the Chairman of the Forum of Security and Response Agencies, noted that the movement of troops throughout Nigeria would begin on 1st of July.

Supported at the briefing by the Spokespersons of all the aforementioned agencies, Major Gen. Enenche added that the march was not just for physical fitness of members of Security and Response Agencies, but also for upholding the constitution of the country.

Asked whether the march was in response to hate speeches that have been generating tension in the polity, Enenche said no.

He maintained that it is a corporate exercise meant to foster interaction and good understanding among the Security and Response Agencies, especially in the face of contemporary security challenges in the country.

Enenche said the exercise tagged “Together we are” would be conducted on quarterly basis and the slogan would be Together we are: Protecting lives and property, ensuring unity and progress, supporting democracy, upholding the Constitution, and defending national interests.

Although Enenche did not disclose the routes of the solidarity march for security reasons, he however said there was no need for panic regarding the exercise.

“The physical fitness of members of the Security and Response Agencies is germaine to the effectiveness of its members, especially in the face of contemporary security challenges in the Country. In the same vein, group interaction through an exercise such as route march is an enhancer of esprit de corps and harmony among members of the Security and Response Agencies.”

“It is in view of these, that a Route March Exercise titled “TOGETHER WE ARE” is to be conducted on quarterly basis involving the Military, Para Military and Security Responses Agencies in Nigeria. The slogan for the Exercise is: ”TOGETHER WE ARE ”

a. Protecting Lives and Property. b. Ensuring Unity and Progress. c. Supporting Democracy. d. Upholding the Constitution. e. Defending National Interests.

Meanwhile, a pro-democracy group, Society for Good Governance (SGG), has raised alarm over the planned march of the military in the 36 states of the federation and the extension of the tenure of the service chiefs till December.

Defence Headquarters Wednesday announced that the entire military would from July 1, 2017, begin a March across the 36 states of the country in support of the Nigerian constitution and democracy . The DHQ also claimed that the tenure of service chiefs could be extended even beyond one year by the President.

Defence Spokesman, Major General John Enenche, had, in a statement, argued that “an officer’s career can be extended based on the interest of the service, in this case, Army, Navy and Airforce.

“In very exceptional cases, an officer’s career can be extended beyond one year for as long as necessary. Extension of service for officers can also be at the discretion of the Commander in Chief,’’ Enenche said.

But in a statement issued by the group in Jos, Plateau State capital and signed by Albert Mantiop, said Nigerians should be wary of planned military adventurism couched as march in defence of the constitution and democracy.

“At a time rumours of coup are all over the place which was confirmed by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Tukur Buratai to the effect that some politicians were infiltrating the military with a view to influence his officers to topple the government, the march across the 36 states is very suspicious.

“More suspicious is the sudden extension of the tenure of service chiefs, who are due to retire by July 1. What is the extension of the service chiefs for? Are there not other officers who are eminently qualified to take over from the retiring officers?

“The Nigerian Air Force in reaction to a publication accusing the Chief of Air Staff, Sadique Abubakar of involvement in a coup plot, recently issued a statement saying it had no such involvement in any any plan to effect an unconstitutional change of government while maintaining that the training was in reaction to plans by terrorist organisation, Boko Haram, to bomb air bases in the country.

“After that statement, the United Kingdom began a retraining of the Nigerian Air Force personnel, another curious training exercise”, the statement said.

SGG further recalls that “The Nzeogwu coup of 1966 started as a military exercise called operation Damisa, IBB’s coup was planned during a military exercise in the South East. The March for the defence of the constitution and democracy smells like a coup plot especially when there are genuine agitations for the restructuring of the federation of Nigeria”.

“If there is a coup plot in order to quench the raging calls for restructuring, it would definitely be dead on arrival as the citizenry will not be cowed by any section of the country to continue to live under Hobbes’ state of nature- where live is short and brutish. We are calling on Nigerians to be alert to this grand design by a minority seeking to subjugate the 170 million people”, the statement said.