Army, Police pledge to restore sanity, accountability in polity

The Nigerian Army, yesterday, vowed to lawfully clamp down on terrorists and other adversaries of the state for peaceful coexistence and economic prosperity.

It called on all law-abiding citizens to play their part in the collective desire for a peaceful and prosperous Nigeria.

Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, made the declaration while opening the Directorate of Army Public Relations/Nigerian Army School of Public Relations and Information Media Workshop 2024, with the theme, “Leveraging digital/social media influence for effective military operations within a joint environment.”

Represented by Chief of Civil Military Affairs (Army), Maj-Gen Nosakhare Ugbo, the COAS insisted that attainment of peace was a collective responsibility.

“May I at this point reiterate that the Nigerian Army remains highly committed to her constitutional role of defending the nation and ensuring her democratic stability,” he said.

In achieving this, Oluyede said the military was continually ready to collaborate and cooperate with the media, stating: “We will among other aspect of human development, continue to build the capacity of our personnel through training of this kind, both at home and abroad.”

In his remarks, the Director, Army Public Relations, Maj-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, said the contemporary security challenges confronting the Armed Forces require galvanising public support and understanding as force multipliers in the ongoing efforts to address them.

Welcoming participants to the media workshop, the Commandant, Nigerian Army School of Public Relations and Information, Lt-Col- Adamu Ngulde, pointed out that in modern warfare, the media plays a pivotal role in any successful military operation.

This, he said, is because the media space has become the ultimate decider of who wins or loses a war.

He, however, stressed the need to always collaborate with the media for a successful military operation and right reportage.

Stating that the engagement of the Army and other security agencies in internal security operations has exposed them to operational, Ngulde said the need to woo public support through winning the hearts and minds of the populace for the success of these operations has become inevitable.

BESIDES, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has reaffirmed the commitment of the force to accountability and transparency, emphasising that these principles were fundamental to fostering public trust and enhancing community safety.

Speaking at the National Summit on Police Accountability yesterday in Abuja, the IGP highlighted the critical role of accountability as a cornerstone of democratic policing, urging all stakeholders to collaborate in building a more effective and trustworthy law enforcement system.

He emphasised the essential nature of collaboration in achieving accountability, stating that the police could not fulfill this responsibility in isolation.

Egbetokun called on Nigerians to actively engage in the accountability process, explaining that a transparent and inclusive strategy would bridge the divide between law enforcement and the community.

He reiterated the readiness of the force to restructure and standardise the forensic processes and procedures to enhance effectiveness of police investigations and criminal prosecutions.

This commitment was stressed during a meeting with a delegation from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and a group of Police Crime Scene Investigators, who had undergone comprehensive training in the aspects and principles of forensic investigations.