Service chiefs declare readiness for election

THE Nigerian security chiefs have dismissed calls from some quarters for the postponement of the forthcoming general election, due to logistics problem, saying that they were ready for the polls.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh, stated this in Abuja, on Monday, alongside other security chiefs, at a national peace meeting with representatives of political parties.
Badeh noted that though the military was occupied with combating terrorism in the North-East, they had capacity to tame any act of violence before, during and after the election.
“We are not directly involved in elections and electioneering but before the elections, we deploy our personnel across the nation to assist civil powers and authority.
“During the elections, as we have done in other states, we also ensure that people are not used to go and cause trouble or mayhem after the elections, should there be disturbances, we assist the police.
“The military will deploy as much as we can across the nation. Even though we are busy in the North-East, we also have capability across the nation,” Badeh added.