Nigeria not under any security threat – Defence Chief

The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, says Nigeria is not under any security threat that will warrant the deployment of United Nations troops ahead of May 29 inauguration.

Irabor also assured Nigerians that the Armed Forces of Nigeria are ever-ready to prevent any external aggression that may want to penetrate the country and disrupt the peace being enjoyed.

The Defence Chief said this while reacting to video clips of United Nations Peacekeeping fighting vehicles and equipment in Benin, Edo state capital.

Daily Trust reports there are insinuations that the presence of the UN Peacekeeping fighting vehicles and equipment are inimical to public peace, and may even cause panic.

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But reacting to the insinuations through Brig.-Gen. Tukur Gusau, Director of Defence Information, Irabor explained that the military fighting vehicles and equipment painted in UN colour were being moved to Southern Sudan from through the Warri port in Delta State.

He explained, “The Defence Headquarters, hereby states that presently, Nigeria is contributing troops to various United Nations Peace keeping operations, the most recent is United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), Southern Sudan.

“The Mission is commanded by a Nigerian, Major General Benjamin Olufemi Sawyerr. It should be noted that the UN doesn’t have its own troops, rather it enter into agreement with troops contributing countries to provide their personnel and equipment for operations in its various missions.

“Therefore, it is imperative to state emphatically that the military fighting vehicles and equipment painted in UN colour as sighted are being moved through the Warri port for movement to the mission area in Southern Sudan to marry up with our troops who were inducted into UNISFA mission last month.

“The Defence Headquarters under the leadership of General Lucky Irabor CFR wish to assure Nigerians that our nation is not under any threat that will warrant the deployment of United Nations troops in our soil.”

Daily Trust had earlier reported that the Nigerian Base Defence Company, deployed into the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) recently rejoined the rest of the Multinational Peacekeeping Force after five years of absence.