The Presidency has
responded to a call made by a former Army chief, urging Nigerians to rise up
and defend themselves against violent attacks.
Former Army general, Theophilus Danjuma, said
Nigerians were being slaughtered by deadly gangs because the armed forces were
“not neutral”.
He said security forces instead helped the
assailants by providing them with cover.
“The armed forces are not neutral,” Mr. Danjuma
said at the maiden convocation of the Taraba State University in Jalingo, the
state capital. “They collude with the armed bandits to kill people, kill
Nigerians.”
The federal government and the military earlier
dismissed the call as “inflammatory” and urged Nigerians to disregard them.
In its first official response Saturday, a week
after the remarks were made, the Presidency said Mr. Danjuma’s comments were
“shocking and scary” and could embolden “criminal gangs”.
“The Presidency is very worried that criminal
gangs will feel justified in defying legal governing and democratic
institutions, and authority of legitimately elected democratic government if
unrestrained pronouncements are made,” a statement by spokesman Garba Shehu
said.
“Silence can be dignified, but sometimes it can
be misinterpreted and exploited. It is both shocking and scary to hear the
recent comments by a senior citizen calling for Nigerians to defend
themselves.”
The statement warned that Nigeria may not
survive if its citizens rose against the country’s “organized, trained and
equipped military”.
The statement did not directly mention Mr.
Danjuma, who was President Muhammadu Buhari’s superior in the army.
“We advise former leaders to take advantage of
the various fora where people with a history of national security can offer
advice to the government without resorting to the exploitation of emotional
sentiments.
“The civil war motto: “TO KEEP NIGERIA ONE IS A
TASK THAT MUST BE DONE” rings very timely at this time in our nation’s history.
We must be careful to avoid the mess that destroyed other
African countries like Somalia,” it added.
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