Operate within the law, Acting CJN admonishes military

The Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed yesterday said the military remains a critical institution for the success of any democratic government, asserting that Nigeria would continue to appreciate its military for the sacrifices it made to keep the country united.

Delivering a keynote address at the Nigerian Air Force Headquarters, Abuja, during the opening of the 2019 Edition of the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) Retreat for NAF Officers, Justice Mohammed said the military deserves public support for its efforts in supporting democratic institutions during elections and for maintaining peace and order during internal operations.

He, however, cautioned that it was imperative for the military to operate within the ambit of the law while going about its kinetic and non-kinetic operations to avoid criticisms within and outside the country.

Justice Mohammed, who lauded the NAF for supporting INEC to airlift its personnel and electoral materials across the country during the  general elections, noted that such efforts as well as NAF medical outreaches and provision of succour to flood victims cannot go unappreciated.

Justice Mohammed said: “More recently your role in moving logistics and electoral personnel did not also go unnoticed. Such Support no doubt increases public support which is key to the success of ongoing counter insurgency operations all over the country.

“I want to reiterate that considering the asymmetric nature of the type of war we now engage in, the military cannot function without public support. If we juxtapose this with the increasing focus and criticism of military operations at both local and international levels, the need to act within the laws during military operations therefore become undeniably imperative”.

The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS). Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar dismissed as untrue insinuations that NAF fighter Pilots dropped bombs selectively during its air operations thereby commiting infractions against citizens and violating their rights.

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Air Marshal Abubakar said the retreat was organised to bring stakeholders together in a way that they would interact with NAF Legal Officers, and fighter pilots to enhance their operations for better delivery of service.

The CAS said: “The NAF relies on our Legal Services Directorate in navigating the legal waters which sometimes become turbulent as a consequence of the strict requirements for the military to adhere to LOAC’’.

between Nigeria and some of its allies. It is for this reason that we continue to reiterate the importance of adhering to LOAC during military operations.

“ The aim of this retreat therefore is to provide the platform for interaction between participants and expert in the legal field with a view to equipping our legal officers and field commanders with a better understanding of LOAC”.