The minister of defence, Mansur Muhammad Dan-Ali, on Sunday described a comment made by a former chief of army staff, Lt-Gen TY Danjuma as “uncalled for". Danjuma had on Saturday called on Nigerians to bear arms and defend themselves against rampaging herdsmen because the government would not. The defence minister refuted the claims and described them as a call to anarchy.
This is contained in a statement he titled: "Re-Armed Forces Collude with Bandits to Kill People". He said, “A recent comment by one of the nation’s elder statesman alleging that the Nigerian Military collude with bandits to kill people and therefore calling on them to rise and defend themselves outside constitutional provisions; this is highly uncalled for and is an invitation to anarchy and should be disregarded by well-meaning Nigerians.
"The efforts of the Nigerian Armed Forces towards restoration of peace, security and order in Nigerians continue to receive appreciation to changing the security environment from what it was before.“The Nigerian Armed Forces is well organized and highly professional in discharging its constitutional mandate.
"Therefore if anyone has evidence of wrongdoings or dereliction of duty against our troops, he should please bring forward such evidence through appropriate channels for necessary action.“For avoidance of doubt, the military will not be distracted from performing its statutory duties in accordance with the rules of engagement.”