Disregard coup rumours – COAS Lagbaja tells citizens
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, on Tuesday, said personnel of his service had accepted the democratic system of government in place in the country and had no plan to truncate it.
Lagbaja described personnel of the Nigerian Army under his leadership as agents of democracy.
His statement comes in the wake of a series of coup allegations against the military.
The allegations were fuelled by the forceful takeover of power by the military in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger Republic.
Despite these allegations, the military has consistently refuted such claims on various occasions.
Speaking at a seminar for the Nigerian Army officers in Abuja, Lagbaja stated that the Army was dedicated to upholding the Constitution.
The Army Chief gave the assurance that soldiers would continue to carry out their mandates as contained in the constitution.
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He said, “Permit me to seize this opportunity to reiterate that the Armed Forces of Nigeria, particularly the Nigerian Army, has come to terms with the country’s choice of democracy as the preferred system of governance. We are, therefore, agents of democracy and have no desire to truncate it.
“The Nigerian Army will continue to defend our constitution and not suspend it for whatever reason. It is the duty of our elected leaders to lead while the military does its job as enshrined in our constitution. Nigerian Army personnel must therefore remain professional and be above board as they discharge their constitutional duties.”
In February, the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, said those calling for coup d’etat were enemies of Nigeria, saying the law would catch up with them.
The military had earlier revealed that there were pressure from certain unnamed quarters for a takeover of government following the lingering insecurity in the country.
But Musa said the Armed Forces ws on top of its game and would continue to do the needful in protecting democracy in the country.
