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| Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor |
A group, Vanguard for Peace Building and Conflict Resolution, has condemned the recent disengagement of 36 senior officers by the Defence Headquarters.
In a statement sent to journalists on Wednesday, December 15, the group stated that the directive allegedly by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor will affect the fight against terrorists and bandits.
The statement which was signed by the president of the group, Ambassador Osagie Timipre, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to reverse the decision immediately in the interest of the war against insecurity.
The statement reads in part:
“We are taken aback at the alleged ill-informed directive by the Army authorities asking senior officers of course 36 to all retire from the Nigerian Armed Forces at a time insecurity is ravaging the country, tearing it into pieces.
“This is a time that the military is even expected to recall retired officers to come back and assist in the fight against murderous terrorists.
“In whose interest it is to retire these officers in the wake of shortage of personnel to tackle insecurity?
“It is our settled opinion that the order from the Defence headquarters is not in the best interest of the service and the country. It does not reflect the current feeling of citizens of the country.
“What is Defence headquarters afraid of? That the CDS might be replaced with a more senior and experienced officer in the wake of the worrisome and deteriorating security situation in the country?
“The over 60 experienced and well-trained Generals being retired are not the officers at the front line fighting at the war zone just as the General Irabor and the other service chiefs.
“It is curious to abruptly order for their compulsory retirement when the Chief of Defence Staff and the Service Chiefs are in charge of giving direction for the military and all military operations.
“The military hierarchy should rather take responsibility for any failure to secure the country first before suspecting sabotage from any General.
A country in dire need of peace and unity should not allow this kind of injustice in the military.
“A situation where Generals of a senior course will be ordered to allegedly retire verbally without any written secular or document as required by law in the provisions of the armed forces will breed bad blood in the military.”
