The General Officer Commanding, 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Auwalu Mahmuda, has charged troops deployed to support security operations during the Osun State off-cycle governorship election to remain professional and strictly adhere to the Code of Conduct for Election Duty.
General Mahmuda according to a statement issued by the acting Deputy Director, 2 Division Army Public Relations, Lt. Col. Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, gave the directive while addressing troops preparing to support the Nigeria Police Force during the election at the Engineer Construction Command in Ede, Osun State on Friday.
The GOC said the troops had a critical responsibility as part of the Nigerian Army’s constitutional mandate to provide aid to civil authorities.
He said the military operation, code-named “Operation SAFE CONDUCT, is designed to support the Nigeria Police Force, which remains the lead agency responsible for election security and the conduct of elections in Nigeria.”
According to Mahmuda, the troops are expected to provide outer-cordon security and respond to security situations only when called upon to do so.
He directed the soldiers to stay away from polling units, while responding appropriately to security threats that could undermine the peaceful conduct of the election.
“The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, expects nothing short of professional conduct by the troops in support of the NPF,” Mahmuda said.
He urged the troops to shun sentiments, bias and actions that could compromise their duties, stressing that their conduct must be guided by Nigeria’s national interest.
Mahmuda also charged them to remain disciplined and maintain a robust security posture without harassing members of the public.
He assured the troops that the necessary resources had been provided for the seamless execution of Operation SAFE CONDUCT.
The GOC appealed to residents of Osun State to have confidence in the security arrangements put in place for the election, assuring them that the deployment was aimed at maintaining law and order and enabling citizens to freely exercise their constitutional rights.
