Lucky Irabor, chief of defence staff, says the army will not condone violent secession agitations.
Irabor said this during a meeting with retired senior military officers in Imo on Thursday.
He said the military has no business with those who follow the law but will not condone anyone instigating violence.
“It is not the job of the military to stop anyone from agitating for whatever he so wishes. It is a political thing,” he said.
“What we are against is having to use the instrument of violence to bring about the agitation.
“We have a constitution that enables us to present whatever grievances that we have. So, if anyone is going outside the provisions of the Constitution, of course, we as military and other security agencies won’t allow that. Why do you have to kill to achieve your desires?”
He said the military will withstand any attempt by individual, group or anybody wielding violence against the state.
“That we will not allow, ”he said.
“Again, there are provisions for anyone who believes that he has certain desires within the confines of the arrangement as enshrined in the constitution to ventilate such views.
“So, this is the reason we think that violence is not the way to go. We are appealing to everyone to seek the course of rule of law to bring about whatever his agitations are,” he said.
Irabor said the parley is designed to tackle security menace ravaging the country.
“I am happy to note that the civil-military cooperation department which I established as the Chief of Army Staff has grown and is today playing a major role in interfacing between the military and civil society,” he said.
