CHIEF of Defence Staff, Gen. Andrew Owoye Azazi, has ruled out full military operations in the Niger Delta. He said it would mean waging war against innocent Nigerians, whom the militants are using as shield.
He gave the assurance yesterday in Abuja, where he announced the maiden edition of the Nigerian Armed Forces Day.
Accompanied by the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ganiyu Adekeye, Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Paul Dike and the representative of the Chief of Army Staff, Azazi explained that the new Armed Forces Day celebration is meant to display the country’s military might.
He told journalists that “any time we are required to conduct a military operation in our own environment, the major factor is that you are not fighting a full-fledged war, but you are addressing certain people, who are gathered in the midst of everybody that are more law-abiding citizens than others. So, you don’t carry out full military operations because of collateral damages it would cause in such an environment.”
Azazi further clarified the difficulties faced by the military when asked to intervene in civil disturbances, saying it is a complicated task.
“For any nation, the conduct of any military operation in its own country is very difficult, so Nigerians should not expect that the military would go to the Niger Delta and wipe out everybody there, it is not possible.
The government would not even allow it, not to talk of the rest of the world,” he stated.
According to him, the involvement of the military in quelling civil unrests is to aid the police. “Whatever operations we conduct within the country is to assist the police to further enhance their capabilities,” he said.
On the significance of the Nigerian Armed Forces Day celebration, the Defence boss explained that September 4 was picked being the day the joint military training between the Army, Navy and the Air Force started in 1967 at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA).
He said that having been approved by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the Armed Forces Day is intended to provide the opportunity to showcase the real and collective capabilities of the Nigerian armed forces.
Nigeria is one of the few countries in the world that institutionalise joint military training as evident in the successes recorded by its contingents during international peace-keeping operations.
“Joint operations is an area that the Nigerian armed forces wants to emphasise to ensure that we remember that we want to promote the operations as team, work as a team and that we want to support Nigerian democracy as a team,” Azazi said.
Activities lined up for the event include Moslem and Christian prayers on Friday and Sunday while it will be rounded off with a dinner on Tuesday, September 4.