The Nigerian Army has been in the eye of the storm over the conduct of soldiers deployed to provide security during the 2019 elections. The soldiers have been roundly accused in several quarters of committing infractions, including partisan interference in the electoral process, that seriously undermined the credibility and sanctity of the elections. In fact, in the estimation of many observers, both Federal Government and the Army stand condemned over the undue militarisation of the electoral process.
But it is an accusation that the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, in this interview with pressmen, dismisses in its entirety. Excerpts:
The military was accused of aiding in election malpractices like snatching of ballot boxes. Your reaction?
Militarisation has to be defined. What do you mean by militarisation? How exactly did the military take part in the elections? Generalisation is not the best. People just use the word militarisation without defining it. Was the…
