COAS, Lt.Gen Taoreed Lagbaja
* It is a call for anarchy, COAS maintains
* Nigerians do not believe in the nation’s security apparatus any longer, say X users
By Jon Egie
IPOB Liverpool Central Unit, United Kingdom has described the reason given by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen Taoreed Lagbaja, as to why Nigerians will not be allowed to freely carry arms to defend themselves, as “rubbish talk”.
Reacting to a media statement credited to the COAS via its official account handle in X, the Biafra agitators said the position of the COAS in reaction to the Plateau Christmas Day Massacre by Jihadists is a testament of “a man who has nothing to offer”,
Several other Nigerians in their X account handles also took the COAS to the cleaners while they expressed disagreement with the position of the military top brass which, according to them, has implications of skewed and bias security judgment that is aimed at ethnic cleansing and protection of religious interest.
Speaking in an interview with Channels TV yesterday, Sunday, December 31,2023 Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Taoreed Lagbaja made attempt to justify why Nigerians cannot be allowed to carry arms in public view to defend themselves, citing the Plateau Christmas Day Massacre where over 195 persons were massacred by jihadists.
According to the COAS, allowing Nigerians to freely carry arms no matter the security challenges of Nigeria would amount to allowing self-defence which, would ultimately lead to a call for “anarchy.”
The Army Chief said the Nigeria Army has the capability to defend Nigeria and Nigerians and hence, there was no such need for self defence.
But adding voice In reaction to the position of the COAS, Ezekiel Zang, an X account handle user said, ” indigenes were disarmed and rendered helpless, attackers invaded them, the military and police were not there to defend them or deter the attackers, they had a free passage and it looks like a free license to kill innocent citizens. This is not balanced.”
For Ben Ruler, the COAS position was “lame argument at best”. And, @Chrisjones, ” But Fulani jihadist killers can bear arms?” He asked and urged the COAS to resign his office if he had the interest of Nigerians at heart, concluding that Nigeria lack patriotic citizens and patriotic leaders.
Reminding the COAS that he took the interview on national TV after the incidence of the Christmas Day Massacre in the Plateau, @Dioh, another X user asked the COAS, “So where exactly was the Nigeria Army when all the killing was happening?”
“This rhetorics does not hold water COAS, we should not be blinded by facts that are so glaring to all citizens. The citizens do not believe in the entire security apparatus of the country anymore.” Lewis007 said, just as@DeputyGovernorAbuja dismissed the COAS submission saying, ” That is his own view, until they disarm those Fulanis, no one is going to abide by those rules any longer hence, its a waste of statement; what is good for the goose is good for the gander.”
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