Human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana SAN, has vow to halt in court the move by Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-General Tukur Buratai to commence operation identify yourself across the country.

Falana, therefore, told the court to declare that the army was not empowered to take over police duties.

Mr Falana has sued the army and the Attorney-General of the Federation over the army’s planned O.P.I across the nation.

The suit joined the Chief of Army Staff as respondent, filed before the Federal High Court in Lagos. Mr Falan filed the suit on October 25. Falana prayed for an order of the court stopping the army from going ahead with the OPI.

He said the planned nationwide operation scheduled for November 1 to December 23, 2019, “is unconstitutional, illegal, null and void.”

Falana said by Section 217(1) of Nigeria Constitution, the President could only deploy armed forces for the suppression of insurrection. And acting in aid of civil authorities to restore law and order.

Femi Falana said:  “There is no insurrection in every part of the country which the Nigeria police cannot contain. Therefore it doesn’t warrant the deployment of armed troops all over the country.”  Nigeria Army has fixed November 1, 2019, to December 23, 2019, for Operation Positive Identification.”

Chief Olabode George, also condemned the army initiative. He said the operation was totally wrong-footed. ”The operation is dangerous,  unprecedented,  a flagrant assault upon constitutional democracy,” he said.

Lawmakers kick against operation identification

Also,  members of the House of Representatives Committee on Army yesterday expressed reservations about the Operation Positive Identification. They further queried the commencement stated for today Friday nationwide.

The lawmakers had earlier called on President Muhammadu Buhari to prevail on the army not to embark on the exercise. They said it was not right to require Nigerians to move about with means of identification.

But Lt.-General Tukur Buratai, said Buhari and the Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, were in support of the operation.

Chief of Army Staff Insists on Operation Identification

Buratai said: ”OPI was first launched in the northeast in September. ‘After that OPI will be conducted nationwide to intercept Boko Haram insurgents. Because many of them have relocated from their enclaves to other states.”

Head of Civil-Military Affairs, Army Headquarters, Major-General U.S Usman, represented Buratai.

He said that the exercise would not involve the movement of troops or their presence in communities.

Rather, Buratai emphasised said it entails a special operation fused into ongoing operations.

Buratai repeated that the operation would not involve mounting of checkpoints or military incursions into communities.

Operation Identification it’s an intelligence-based operation – Burutai

Tukur Buratai said: ”It is an intelligence-based operation to intercept insurgents and other criminal elements relocating from the army’s theatres.

”The precarious situation of the nation prompted the army to initiate various operations to tackle the security challenges.

”Soldiers had been deployed to 34 states of the federation owing to the spate of insurgency, banditry and kidnapping.

”The army does not operate in isolation, but always works with other security agencies in its operations.”

Army does not work in isolation, says Buratai

Buratai said: ”If the army arrests criminals, it hands them over to the police. Except for insurgents detained and profiled by the army depending on the situation.”

Abdulrazak Namdaz, committee chairman said the House was concerned with the issue of identification during the operations.

Namdaz said the OPI was not for the army but the police, Nigerian Immigration Service and security agencies.

Mr Namdaz said: “It cannot take effect from tomorrow (today). ”We’ve told them that it would require a lot sensitisation of media and press conferences,”

Namdaz said that  Nigerians need to be fully informed of the OPI. He promised to talk to relevant authorities to shift OPI.”

Ahmed Jaha, a member of the committee, also called for caution. Jaha said: ”Though the need for the operation was understandable, its concept and approach should be adjusted. ”Because it’s being extended to other areas outside the main theatres of operations.”