The Nigerian military assured that free, fair, credible and acceptable elections will be conducted in the South East Region, particularly in Ebonyi State.
The Commanding Officer, 24 Support Engineering Regiment, Lt. Col. Sunday Atomode made the declaration while speaking with newsmen in Abakaliki. at the Nkwagu military cantonment, located along Abakaliki -Afikpo road, when members of the Correspondent Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, paid a courtesy visit.
He said: “Elections will hold in Ebonyi State peacefully. Those saying that there won’t be elections in Ebonyi State and South East do not have what it takes to suppress the military and other security agencies in the state.
“We are assuring the people that the election will come and go. We have plans already for a peaceful and successful election in the state.”
Atomode further declared the preparedness of the Military to work effectively with the Department of State Security, DSS, the Nigeria Police and other security agencies to combat crimes in the 13 local government areas of Ebonyi State.
He said that the military will ensure an increased joint patrol with operatives of other security organisations to ensure that the state is crime free.
“We have had joint operations to some of the hideouts of these criminal elements. We have conducted a series of operations like the one we had in Egedegede forest, Obegu in Ishielu Local Government Area of the state and some other areas where we successfully dismantled the training camp of the miscreants.“We will continue to do more on other areas where these bad elements are hiding and we will be able to fish them out and dislodge them so that we will have a secured environment ahead of the 2023 general elections,” he said.