Perhaps, it is not in the character of the military to imitate ‘bloody civilians’ in talking too much. Otherwise, the insecurity situation in Nigeria had become so frightening that a regular commentator on Intervention, for example, wondered what the Nigerian military was up to in such a circumstance. It was an apt and timely questioning of a military with a rich history in handling internal security operations and quelling insurgency in faraway battles, from the Congo to Somalia to neighboring countries.
Well, the military is talking now, probably not as tough and as categorical as the moment might seem to demand but talking nevertheless. In that lies the significance of just the one sentence below from the statement of General Leo Irabor, the Chief of Defence Staff at an interaction with media operatives in Abuja might signify a turn to verbally re-assuring a bewildered nation:
“They must allow peace reign in the country by navigating away from actions and comments that can undermine national security as they engage in political campaigns”
Considering the statement last by the same military chef that there would have been something terrible around Kano and Abuja, it might just be that there is a postmodern turn in the military in favour of the logic that what happens in a battlefield is not as important as who and how is the story of what happened is told. The CDS’s pronouncements from this regular encounter between military and media ahead of 2023 General Election would thus be certainly worth anticipating!
