The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai says the force would not allow agents of destabilisation set Nigeria on fire.
He stated this in a press conference after meeting with principal staff officers, general officers commanding and field commanders at the Army headquarters on Monday.
Buratai was represented at the press briefing by Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sagir Musa.
He noted that the senior army personnel should not be intimidated while performing their duties by threats from some human rights organisations to drag them before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Some rights groups had threatened to drag Buratai and others before the ICC over the shooting of unarmed EndSARS protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos last Tuesday.
But Buratai stated that some sponsors of the protest were out to discredit the army.
He charged the senior army personnel to go after hoodlums and looters that have embarked on massive looting of public and private businesses since last week.
Also, the army boss denied that the force gave impetus to the hoodlums involved in looting and vandalisation of public and private property across the nation.
Buratai warned the senior officers that there could be no room for disloyalty among officers and men of the army.
The Chief of Army Staff further charged them to emphasise to their subordinates that the army was determined to ensure democratic stability in the country as the only panacea for development and progress.
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“The recent activities by unscrupulous elements have shown their desire to acquire arms and ammunition at all costs from security personnel. No less than 10 AK-47 rifles have been lost to these miscreants in the past two weeks across the country with attendant loss of lives of personnel,” he stated.
He stressed that the senior officers must halt the trend with immediate effect to forestall further losses.
The army chief said it was important for the commanders to warn their subordinates on guard duties outside the barracks to be at “maximum alert at all times and to also deal decisively with any attack on their duty locations.
“We will not allow any force, elements or destabilising agents in or outside our country to set our beloved country on fire. We remain resolute in doing everything possible to ensure that subversive elements, detractors and other enemies of this great nation do not achieve their aims and objectives of destabilisation.”