Tina Amanda
Retired Colonel Chinedu Owhonda has joined in condemning the participation of the Nigerian Army in the electoral processes.
Colonel Owhonda who stated this while fielding questions from our reporter Tina Amanda, said the role of the military is to protect the territorial integrity of Nigeria on the land, sea, air and to aid internal security agencies.
According to him, the military has no constitutional role to play in an electoral process, except if they are invited by the internal security agencies to assist.
He further said some political gladiators are making use of the military for selfish aims.
“What we have seen is a situation were people on uniform as claimed by the military are used to perpetrate heinous crime and the military have denied knowing them, how will the military allow people to use their uniform to commit evil and there has never been an arrest up till date, their logistics are being used such as APCs, the trooper jeeps, tanks are all being rolled out and used by these people. Is the military telling us that they are aiding these people that have impersonated them to commit crimes?
“The whole world is watching us and it is indeed laughable. What they are driving at is very clear to make Rivers state ungovernable, create a state of anarchic and chaos and declare it as a state of emergency‘’
Colonel Owhonda stressed that the role played by the military in the electoral process has succeeded in tarnishing the image of the Nigerian Army internationally and in the state.
‘’The military before they can regain their image it will take a longer time especially in Rivers state because whatever that has happened the world has seen that they are not apolitical the way they supposed to be, they have played a heinous role that has put fears into Nigerians instead of protecting lives and properties of Nigerians, they went further to threaten, kill people and harass people unnecessarily.
“Nigerian Army are tax payers workers and they are been paid by the tax payers. The public are angry that their lives are being threatened daily by the military. There is tension every where, this thing happened in the second republic and it is playing out again”
