The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor, said the armed forces, police and the security agencies were battle ready to give a bloody nose to any person or group of persons who may want to scuttle the electoral process.
Irabor gave the warning, yesterday, when he met with service chiefs and heads of security agencies in Abuja with a promise to provide a conducive environment for a crisis free elections in the country.
He called on Nigerians to go and cast their votes for candidates of their choice without fear of being attacked as adequate security measures have been put in place to protect law-abiding citizens.
He also assured that elections would be held as promised by the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC). The meeting, which took place at the Defence Headquarters, had in attendance the Chief Of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya; Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Auwal Gambo; Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao; the Inspector General of Police(IGP), Usman Baba; the Director General of Department of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Bichi, who was represented; Director General, National Intelligence Agency and Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI), among other security chiefs.
The meeting, which started at about four o’clock, lasted for about two hours.
Briefing journalists at the end of the meeting, the CDS, said: “We have just finished a meeting with the service chiefs, the IGP, the DG-DSS represented by the director of operations, the DG-NIA and the CDI and we have compared notes and assess the entire situations, and we are good to go.
“The assessment is that we are set on all fronts; we equally got representation from the INEC chairman who, of course, you have interacted with, who has also told Nigerians and the world that they are ready for elections. So, by and large, I like to use this opportunity to assure Nigerians that on the security front, we are good to go on all fronts.”
Answering questions on the electoral process on security situations in some states that are still battling insurgency, the CDS, said: “Well, I do not need to tell you how we would do it, but all I am telling you is that we will do it; and everyone will have the liberty to exercise their franchise.
“This is part of the assessment that is done and the general assessment is that, yes, we are good to go, and we have taken the needed contingency to address those peculiar areas.
And for those planning to scuttle the smooth electoral process, the CDS said “they better have a rethink because they will have a bloody nose”.
