The military will ensure 2023 holds, defence chief assures

By our reporter| The chief of defence staff, General Lucky Irabor on Tuesday assured Nigerians that the 2023 general elections will hold.

The assurance followed doubts that have been expressed by Nigerians as to whether the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will be able to conduct elections across the country as terrorists and bandits have ravaged the land with impunity.

However, speaking during a media parley on Tuesday at the defence headquarters in Abuja, General Irabor said the military will do everything possible to ensure that INEC conducts a successful elections in 2023.

Irabor, who also reiterated the commitment of the military to protecting the democratic ideals in Africa’s most populous nation, noted the military has made a covenant to protect Nigeria’s democracy.

Earlier in the briefing, the CDS revealed that the assailants linked to a suspected terror attack on the Saint Francis Catholic Church in Owo two months ago have been arrested.

Though he did not reveal the number of arrested suspects, Irabor stated that the attackers were arrested during joint operations involving the Armed Forces, the Department of Security Services (DSS) and the police.

Tuesday’s parley meant to solicit the support of the media organisations towards tackling the security challenges in the country, is the second in the series of engagements between the chief of defence staff and executives and editors of media organisations in Nigeria.