Nigerian Army headquarters has debunked allegations that it has warned soldiers against toppling the government.
Army spokesman, Brig. General Onyema Nwachukwu who debunked the report noted that the Directorate of Army Public Relations was notified of an online story making the rounds, with the caption, “Defence Headquarters warns soldiers against overthrowing Buhari’s regime” published on November 13, 2021 by a certain online news medium (Not The Guardian)
“The said publication, which was riddled with outrageous lies and fabrications claimed that the “Defence Headquarters has denounced a call for the military to take over the reins of power”. The online outlet went further to attribute its falsehood to “Army Spokesman, Brig Gen Onyema Nwachukwu”.
“The only reason why this grossly unprofessional and blatantly irresponsible report is receiving any attention is the attribution of the false statement to the Director, Army Public Relations, Brig Gen Onyema Nwachukwu. The authors of the story must be the only news reporters who do not know that Army Spokesman does not speak for the Defence Headquarters.
“However, for the sake of clarity and to keep the records straight, we wish to state that at no time did the Director, Army Public Relations, Brig Gen Onyema Nwachukwu issue any statement on the subject matter. It is therefore a figment of their imagination, which did not in anyway emanate from Brig Gen Nwachukwu.
“In any case, officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army do not need to be “warned against overthrowing Buhari’s government” as their loyalty to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and to the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces has never been in doubt. The Nigerian Army is a reputable national and patriotic institution that has fully subordinated herself to civil authority, having stood unwaveringly in defence of the nation’s democracy.
“The NA will continue to be steadfast in defending Nigeria’s constitution and the much cherished democracy by providing aid to the civil authority, whenever it is called upon to so do.”