The military has warned it won’t tolerate civilian aggression on its personnel going-forward, the Director of Defense Information (DDI), Brig General Tukur Gusau has said.
He stated this on Tuesday in Abuja while addressing members of the Association of Corporate Online Editors (ACOE), who paid him a courtesy visit to his office.
the military personnel have come under acts of civilian aggression lately, a situation the Defense Headsquares has expressed deep displeasure.
Welcoming the publishers, the military spokesperson reiterated the Defense Headquarters’ earlier position, saying further attack on his men by civilians would not be tolerated further.
He vowed that the military would use the instrumentality of the law against any act of barbarism action against its men while in uniform.
Gusau admonished Nigerians to consider the military as their own that must be nourished, saying all must join in the war against common enemies of Nigeria.
“Also, I thank you so much for commiserating with us, in respect of the unfortunate killings of our soldiers last week in Abba and that of Okuama in Delta State, and also the unfortunate incidence in Banex plaza, Abuja. One thing Nigerians must understand is that the military is their own, and there are no foreigners in the Nigerian armed forces. We all belong to the community; we belong to the same people we are protecting. They are recruited into the military by their state of origin and where they come from. I will encourage people to see the military as their own” he stated.
The general also called on Nigerians to report unprofessional conduct by military personnel and they will be disciplined and not resort to self-help.
“Where our personnel flouted any rule or do anything wrong, we have our means of addressing such misbehavior. We have our hotlines that are in circulation; we have human rights where the masses can work up to and lay their complaints against any personnel and appropriate actions will be taken. We have standing Court Martial across our divisions and formations, this is to tell you that we have channels of addressing military-related matters brought before us” he assured.
“But it is barbaric, uncalled for, and unacceptable for people to take the law into their hands against military personnel on the street. This is unacceptable, and cannot fold our alms and see people attacking our military personnel. This uniform is a symbol of state and authority. There are avenues for which Nigerians must seek redress against any military personnel found wanton” he stated.
“I want to believe that this should be the last time we would be hearing things of this nature. We would take no such lightly anymore, and we would do nothing outside the ambit of the law in addressing any of such in the future, and we will also not take laws into our own hands” he said.
He used the opportunity to solicit media support over the unending security challenges in the country, as it re-echoed its readiness to wage war against any individuals attacking its men on the cause of delivering their constitutional roles.
“First, we all know the importance of the Media, especially online media. Nowadays, online media seems to be faster than even the traditional media. Sometimes, it may take a day or two for news to appear on the newsstand with the traditional media. As for the online media, within a twinkle of an eye, it is already in the public domain” he noted.
“I must tell you I enjoy better working relationships with online media than even the traditional media, probably the traditional media delayed most times to critically consider the contents for publications” he emphasized.
He also emphasized publishing only verified information. “Today, however, everybody has become a journalist, who cannot afford to waste time in sending out information, especially critical information that has to do with our military operations and engagements.”
“So, I must thank you for giving us the space and your platforms, to issue out our press releases and making our operations well known to Nigerians,” Gusau stressed.
He said the Chief of Defense Staff prioritizes Nigerians in all that he has done in office. “When the CDS came to the office, about a year ago, he came up with a leadership concept, and one of them is that, whatever we want to do, we have to consider the larger Nigeria first. Whatever we want to do has to be in tandem with the yearning of the people, people must be considered first. We have to come down to the level of understanding of Nigerians.”
“What the CDS is trying to say is that we are Nigerians and not from another planet, and we are here to protect and secure our own country. This is because we don’t have another country aside from Nigeria” he said.
The Defence Spokesperson assured the Editors of the request for synergy, and pledged the military’s support towards their programs, as requested.
“On partnership with the DHQ, our doors are open and we have already started, probably not with the association as a body, but given the numbers of your colleagues in our midst, we would be ready to support you. Whatever areas of support are needed, we would be ready as far as it is something we can handle. Let us know when it is time for your investiture program, we shall play our role” he assured.
Speaking earlier, the President of the Association of Corporate Online Editors, Martins Odiete, while commiserated with the Military over their losses in recent times, especially the attacks on its men while on duty, emphasized the need to work with the military in addressing similar occurrences in the future.
“With me here are members of our executives and other members of the association, among them are members of this bit, they report this bit exclusively and that is why we engage them to be with us on this assignment.
“We are members of about sixty online media organizations, which cut across Nigeria. We are almost two years of existence and we deem it fit to come and familiarize ourselves with Defense Headquarters to form synergy with Defense Information” he said.
“But before we go further, we want to commiserate with the Nigerian Military on the loss of your soldiers in Abba, Okuama, Delta State, and lately the unfortunate incident that happened at Banex Plaza, Abuja. Our association condemns those acts in its entirety.
Odiete further solicited the Defense Headquarters’s collaboration for the successful implementation of the association’s pan-Nigerian agendas:
“Our association is about two years in operation right now. We are members who are online individuals. We are Editors and Publishers with track records” he stated.
“Very soon, we shall be having our investiture event. It is our flagship program, which is going to be a weeklong event. We would appreciate the Director of Defense to play a very key role in that program. It is a big platform that the world will hook up to” he called.
