Coup: Army Has No Desire To Truncate Democracy, Says COAS Lagbaja

The Chief Of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, has said that the Nigerian Army has no plan to truncate the nation’s “nascent” democracy.

He said democracy has come to stay contrary to calls for the military to topple the democratically-elected government in power over the prevailing economic hardship.

The COAS stated this while declaring open a seminar of the Army Headquarters Department of Military Secretary, holding in Abuja.

He said the Nigerian Army will continue to defend the constitution and not suspend it for whatever reason, adding that it was the duty of “our elected leaders to lead while the military does its job as enshrined in our constitution.”

He, therefore, charged officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army to remain professional and be above board as they discharge their constitutional duties.

Gen. Lagbaja reiterated that the Nigerian Army as an institution remains the agents of democracy.

“Permit me to seize this opportunity to reiterate that the Armed Forces of Nigeria, particularly the Nigerian Army has come to terms with the country’s choice of democracy as the preferred system of governance.

“We are, therefore, agents of democracy and have no desire to truncate it. The Nigerian Army will continue to defend our constitution and not suspend it for whatever reason. It is the duty of our elected leaders to lead while the military does its job as enshrined in our constitution. Nigerian Army personnel must therefore remain professional and be above board as they discharge their constitutional duties,” the COAS stated.