December 9, 2022

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor has revealed that over 300,000 persons have been freed from the hands of abductors since 2016 while refugees who fled the northeast owing to insurgency have started to return.

He disclosed this while speaking during the Ministerial weekly briefing on Thursday.

The CDS who provided updates of strides made by the Military in the fight against insurgency, terrorism and banditry admitted that there still exits Internal sabotage within the military, but that they have not succeeded.

He went further to debunk a recent allegation by an international news media which accused the military of carrying out over 10,000 illegal abortions on female victims of the war in the North east.

According to him, it is impossible for the military to have been engaged in a planned abortion program since 2013 and as the military commander in charge of Operation Lafia Dole between 2016 and 2017, he never heard of any such thing.

Irabor however condemned the report in its entirety, noting that the military is not unaware of extra territorial elements who do not peace to fester in the country.

The CDS also revisted the alleged Lekki toll gate massacre in 2020, insisting that the Nigerian military is not interested in killing its own people, but rather more concerned in protecting the citizens.

He added that the efforts of the military in the fight against crude oil theft have been yielding positive results with the increase in the crude oil production of 1.6 million barrels per day.

On 2023 election, he noted that personnel are being trained to follow the codified rules of engagement before, during and after the elections.

He added that security agencies and the military constantly come under pressure to compromise during elections through various financial inducements, but  urged Nigerians to trust in the military as they strive to maintain neutrality in accordance with the president’s directive.