Nigerians have been reassured by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Lucky Irabor, that the armed forces and other security organizations are prepared to provide a safe and secure environment for the general elections in 2023.
Irabor provided the reassurance while briefing reporters shortly after his Monday in Abuja meeting with military chiefs and the heads of security agencies.
Service Chiefs, the Inspector General of Police, the Directors General of the Department of State Services (DSS), the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), and the Chief of Defence Intelligence were present at the private meeting (CDI).
He said the purpose of the meeting was to review security arrangements for the elections and develop action plans to ensure that the exercise was held under a peaceful atmosphere.
“We have just finished the meeting. The service chiefs, the Inspector General of Police, the DSS, represented by the Director of Operations, the DG, the NIA, and the CDI.
“Looking at the security for the elections and as you know, the police are the lead agency for elections security, we have compared notes and assessed the entire situation and we are good to go.
“The assessment is that we are set on all fronts.
“We got representation from the Independent National Electoral Commission, who of course you have interacted with, and has also told Nigerians and the world that they are ready for this election.
“By and large, we are good to go and I like to use this opportunity to assure Nigerians that on the security front, we are good to go on all fronts,” he said.
Irabor also gave assurance that the security agencies would cover every part of the country to ensure peaceful elections so that all eligible Nigerians exercise their franchise.
He added that contingency actions had been taken to address areas with peculiar security challenges.
The CDS warned those that intend to cause trouble during the elections to rethink, “because they will have a bloody nose”.
