I am not afraid of travel ban – Buratai

 

BY NICHOLAS ABE

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Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai, has dismissed calls on the international community to impose a travel ban on him and other top military officers allegedly involved in violation of human rights of #EndSARS protesters.

Tukur described human rights activist Deji Adeyanju and others who have called for visa ban on the military top brass as criminals for asking foreign governments to impose visa restrictions on him and the military commanders.

He said, “Criminal elements are threatening us with travel ban but we are not worried because we must remain in this country to make it better.

“The first time I travelled outside of this country, I was already 50 years and a general, so I don’t mind if I live the rest of my life here.”

The army chief spoke shortly before he got into a closed-door meeting on Monday with principal staff officers, general officers commanding and field commanders at the NA headquarters, Abuja.

The Punch reports that Adeyanju, a leading member of the #EndSARS movement, had warned that Buratai would not get away with soldiers’ killing of peaceful protesters at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos, during the #EndSARS protest.

He admitted that his group had been leading the campaign for visa restrictions on Buratai and those who undermined democracy in the country.

Adeyanju berated the Army chief over the killing of about 1,000 members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, popularly known as Shi’ites, and hundreds of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) members.

READ: Buratai indicts politicians for current level of insecurity

“We have been championing visa ban on him and others who continue to undermine democracy in the country and democratic tenets. How do you justify using bullets on unarmed protesters sitting down, holding the national flag and singing the national anthem?

“This is a chief of army staff who said his loyalty is not to the country but to (President) Buhari. You can imagine the level of disservice this particular COAS has done to the country.

“He will never get away with this one. We are assuring him that no matter how long it takes, he will never get away with this particular one,” Adeyanju told The Punch.

Buratai at the meeting ordered military commanders and troops to go after looters and hoodlums who had taken advantage of the peaceful protest to raid warehouses and vandalise property across the country, adding that sponsors of #EndSARS protests were out to discredit the army.

He did not comment on the allegation that soldiers shot protesters. He, however, denied that the army masterminded the miscreants involved in the arson, vandalism and looting of public and private property in many cities.

The chief of army staff made it clear to his men that there must be no room for disloyalty among  all officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army.

He directed the PSOs, GOCs and field commanders to reiterate to all their subordinates that the army was determined to ensure democratic stability in the country as the only panacea for development and progress.

Buratai said, “The recent activities by unscrupulous elements have shown their desire to acquire arms and ammunition at all costs from security personnel. No less than 10 AK-47 rifles have been lost to these miscreants in the past two weeks across the country with attendant loss of lives of personnel.”

According to a statement read by the army spokesman, Col. Sagir Musa, on behalf of the COAS, at the end of the meeting, Buratai charged the commanders to nip in the bud the trend at all costs.

“We will not allow any force, elements or destabilising agents in or outside our country to set our beloved country on fire. We remain resolute in doing everything possible to ensure that subversive elements, detractors and other enemies of this great nation do not achieve their aims and objectives of destabilisation,” he said.

The COAS said that the army was aware from the outset, the plan by the organisers of the protests to discredit the NA.

He stated, “The NA (Nigerian Army) has been aware of the grand design by the sponsors of the protests to draw it into the crisis.

“The plan was to embark on massive propaganda to discredit the military and the government so as to set the people against the NA once it is called out to aid the civil authorities. The NA being aware of the devilish plan was careful not to be dragged in and issued the initial warning through a press release on 14 October 2020 of our resolve to secure and safeguard a united Nigeria.

“Now the detractors alongside their local and international collaborators have mischievously and deliberately misrepresented troops’ efforts to ensure compliance with the curfew imposed by legitimate civil authorities in Lagos and other states.”

READ: Resign now or be sacked, Reps tell Buratai, other Service Chiefs

He accused unnamed individuals and groups of falsely accusing the army of being responsible for the activities of the miscreants “despite glaring evidence” to the contrary.

“They have continually threatened to report the NA to the International Criminal Court and also threatened various forms of sanctions against personnel and their families.

“Thankfully, however, a large percentage of Nigerians and the international community have started seeing through the smokescreen of falsehood and deliberate misrepresentation of facts being orchestrated by enemies of Nigeria and have retracted their earlier false publications,” he added.

Tasking his men on their responsibility, Buratai admonished that none of the PSOs, GOCs, field commanders and other officers and soldiers of the NA should be afraid of the ICC for carrying out their legitimate duties.

According to him, the commanders have every right under the constitution to carry out assigned and legitimate roles of maintaining law and order in aid of civil authorities and other security agencies.

“In dealing with any security threat, troops must fully cooperate with personnel of the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies and must ensure that everyone is in full compliance with imposed curfews and any other extant security instructions in force,” he said.