6th September, 2014
Former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Azubuike Ihejirika, has said people should stop peddling talks of Boko Haram nonchalantly, noting that, “baseless and frivolous allegations have the capacity of diverting Nigeria’s attention”.
Ihejirika gave the advice at the Third Quarter Get Together of the Nigerian Defence Academy Regular Course 18 in Abuja on Friday.
He called on all Nigerians to support President Goodluck Jonathan and members of the Armed Forces in their onerous task to rid the country of terrorism.
“I want to further advice that baseless and frivolous allegations have the capacity of diverting our attention away from the main problem.
“Nigeria must exist before you can hold a single political office, or be a business man, and there is no compromise in the effort to have a peaceful Nigeria.
“Therefore, I have no apologies what so ever to those who thought that I was highhanded; every army makes a lot of effort to ensure that troops operate within the rules of engagement.
“And our Department of Civil Military Affairs has done so much in this regard,” he said.
According to Ihejirika, “no matter the pressure, I will not contribute in any form to overheating the system, when one joins the military, it is for sacrifice.
“The current Boko Haram menace is one problem that we will overcome and hopefully come up even stronger.
“A lot of people had spoken on an issue that wouldn’t have been subject of discourse if we had better knowledge of the strategy and tactics of terrorists the world over.
“If this forum had been able to bring PDP and APC together, it would be a major achievement. So, I can say that gradually, we will get to the root of our problem.”
Ihejirika said it was not easily appreciated when he said that the nation was at war at the 2011 Chief of Army Staff Conference. He said his colleagues held then that it was not war but just a minor internal security problem.
Ihejirika said he was happy that the nation had a person like Goodluck Jonathan as the President. He said the president approved several steps which he implemented towards curbing the insurgency.
Ihejirika added that there was no reason for him to be angry, adding that, he believed that the nation was yet to come to terms with the motive of the terrorists.
“We must not help them and we must not play into their hands with utterances that affect the morale of fighting troops or their leaders.
“I am not saying that action should not be taken against people who want to bring this country down. What I’m saying is that we must remain united, focused and resolved to do our ultimate best.
“Nigeria’s multi-religious and multi-ethnic sentiments make us very vulnerable to these attacks,” he said.
He pointed out that it was the task of retired military officers to help those in service, politicians and researchers to find solutions to psychological war fare.
President of the NDA 18 Regular Course, Air Commodore Olufemi Oguntuyi, said that Ihejirika’s tenure as the Chief of Army witnessed a lot of achievements.
“I could recall how he was tackling security issue when some Nigerians who did not understand or pretending not to know claimed that the army was killing people indiscriminately.
“The same people today are saying the army is not confronting the situation and even suggesting that we may be sponsoring the criminals that are bringing unrest to our country.”
Oguntuyi added that most of the officers deserved some respect as they had put their lives on the line for the country for 35 years.
He said the military was doing its best to contain the insurgency, adding that President Jonathan deserved to be given a lot of respect.
There had been recent reports in some media alleging that Ihejirika was sponsoring Boko Haram.