The former Chief of Defence Staff, General Martin Luther Agwai, on Friday said the nation’s military was capable of overrunning the Niger Delta but for its reluctance to shed the blood of innocent people.
He also said the reluctance of the military to crush the militants in the region was because of the Federal Government’s policy, which he said favoured dialogue. Agwai, who is about to resume as the commandant of the United Nations/African Union Mission contingent in Dafur, Sudan, was speaking to defence correspondents and some senior military personnel in Abuja.
He said the presence of military personnel in the region was meant to provide an enabling environment for dialogue that would bring peace and security. The general, who expressed confidence in the armed forces, added that they were quite capable of crushing any upheaval in the Niger Delta.
He explained, “The military is quite capable and able to handle the situation in the region. We can do a lot of things in the Niger Delta, but we are subjecting ourselves to the policy of government, which is interested in dialogue and negotiations. But if that policy changes, then things will take another dimension.
“We can crush the militants in 24 hours, but it is an internal crisis which does not call for war.”
On the two operations initiated in the Niger Delta, Operation Restore Hope and Operation Flush Out, Agwai said he had tried to make them more dynamic and vibrant. He also said he associated them with a human face to prove to the Nigerian public that the military have completely submitted themselves to civilian rule.
Agwai, who refuted reports that he had incited soldiers to take power into their hands if they feel that politicians were destroying the country, said he had never been a man with an irresponsible or reckless nature. He charged officers to remain loyal to the “constituted authority and obey all laws of the land, as well as defend our hard earned democracy.”
On the controversial comment, he explained that he was merely responding to a question asked by a reporter who said politicians were planning to destroy the country. He explained that what he actually said was if that happens, the military would not fold their hands and watch the country destroyed.
Jun92007