November 11 Governorship Polls In Three States: DHQ Alerts “There Are Fake Soldiers”

By Ayodele Oni

The Defence Headquarters has said that it has uncovered plans by some persons to impersonate the Military by wearing its uniform during Saturday’s governorship election in three states.

It has, therefore, warned trouble makers to “stay away from the November 11 Governorship elections in Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa or face injurious consequences from the military.”

The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, gave the warning while briefing newsmen on the operations

of the armed forces  as regards the election on Thursday in Abuja.

Buba said the military is aware of plans by some individuals to dress in military uniform to disrupt the electoral processes in the three states on Saturday.

He said that “for the off season elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi states this weekend, here is a message for those who planned to disrupt the process.

“We are aware of your plans to dress in military gear to misled the public. Be assured of injurious consequences should you proceed with those plans. We will not allow our image to be dragged to the mud. You’re warned.”

The director said the military is determined to give the elections the seriousness it deserves, adding that troops and platforms were being moved to locations to reinforce security already in place in those states.

He stated that security agencies are ready to identify and differentiate between real soldiers and the fake ones.

Buba explained that troops had continued to exert pressure on groups that sought to derail any progress toward peace and security in the country.

According to him, it is for these reason the military is inflicting severe damage on terrorists, insurgents and violent extremists through operations across the country.

He added that “accordingly, we are targeting their leadership, infrastructure and foot soldiers. The coordination between air and ground forces is like never seen before and yielding amazing results.

“We are expecting new platforms that would further enhance our capabilities to further root out terrorists and destroy their military capabilities.”