We have no plan to lock down Nigeria on Friday -Army

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5 years ago

Ex-COAS, Tukur Buratai

The Nigerian Army has debunked publications in some media platforms about a purported Federal Government’s plan to enforce military lock down of Nigeria on Friday.

The Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Colonel Sagir Musa, in a statement on Wednesday, described the publications as false and misleading.

Musa said that the army “dissociate itself from such false, speculative and vexatious publication designed by certain mischievous elements to create chaos, panic and disaffection in the society that could only serve the ulterior motives of its promoters.”

According to him, the document being quoted was a proactive directive for the Nigerian Army to prepare for possible escalation of the COVID -19 based on the happenings around the world on the pandemic.

“The misinterpretation that government is locking down the entire country and pulling out the army by Friday, March 27, is utterly false and baseless.

“The Nigerian Army considers the publication and negative interpretation being given the content of the classified document containing information meant for the army personnel as a violation of the Official Secret Act,” he said.

Musa assured that Nigerian Army would continue to be professional, proactive and responsive in support of the constitution, democracy and government in line with its constitutional mandate of providing aid to civil authority.

He added that the army would leave no stone unturned to prepare to support the civil authority in times of emergencies of national magnitude.

“The mischief of some unpatriotic few will not dissuade the Nigerian Army from working with sister services, the Nigeria Police and other security agencies to keep Nigeria safe.

“The Nigerian Army calls on the general public to discountenance the publication going round that the Federal Government is locking down Nigeria by Friday on the basis of the content of the directive to military formations to take proactive measures to prepare for possible call out to assist civil authority in the case of COVID-19 getting worse in the country,” he said.