The Nigerian Army has declared that it has no intention of invading the National Assembly as being widely rumoured.
It said, rather, its troops deployed to the Three Arms Zone area of the Federal Capital Territory were to prevent the invasion of the area by members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, IMN, otherwise referred to as Shiite.
The National Assembly, Presidential Villa and Supreme Court are located in the Three Arms Zone.
The Nigerian Army said it decided to deploy its troops to the area following intelligence report that members of the Shiite group was planning an invasion to protest the continued detention of their leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky.
The explanation was given in a statement issued by the Assistant Director of Army Public Relations, H.T. Tagwai.
His words: “As part of the routine responsibilities of the Brigade, troops were deployed at the Three Arm Zone of the Federal Capital Territory based on an intelligence report of an invasion by the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (aka Shiite) to force their way into the Zone. Hence, troops were deployed to forestall any breach of peace and security.
“The Brigade wishes to state that media platforms should verify their stories before publication to avoid misleading the general public.
“The Nigerian Army is a professional organisation that conducts its operations with international best practices.”
