Tag: COAS

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has praised the effort of troops on ‘Operation Desert Sanity’ in the North East, described their performance as ‘wonderful’.

Gen. Lagbaja celebrated Eid-el Kabir with troops of the North East Joint Task Force Operation Hadin Kai. He assured them of sustained support to continue delivering on their assigned task of restoring peace and security in the region and Nigeria in general.

Read Also; Operation Desert Sanity: Our troops did a wonderful job – COAS

He said: “My visit to the Theatre Command is to say thank you to the troops for their wonderful performances during the just-concluded phases of ‘Operation Desert Sanity 3,’ ‘Lake Sanity 2,’ and ‘Mountain Sanity 2,’.

“My assessment of how the troops have performed is drawn from the report I got from the Army headquarters, indicating the number of terrorists neutralised, victims rescued, and weapons and other physical equipment recovered. You can see the display of these materials, including weapons that were recovered by the troops, which drives home the performance of the troops.”

Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti has appreciated the Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Hasan Abubakar for approving the establishment of an Air Force Base in Abia.

Speaking when he received in the audience, the Chief of Air Staff and his delegation who paid him an official visit, Otti promised that the state government would provide land for them to site their operations.

He said that in the interim, a temporary site in Umuahia would be provided while operational vehicles, official residence and other logistics required for the take-off would equally be provided by the state government.

Otti expressed optimism that the establishment of an Air Force base would be realized in the state to further enhance the security of lives and property of citizens.

“I will instruct the Commissioner for Lands and Housing to engage with anyone that you will nominate to work with us so that we can realise this in the shortest time possible.

“While we do that, we are also in a position to give you a temporary site so you do not wait for the construction of the permanent site before we realise this good gesture that you have made here.

“We will give you a temporary site in Umuahia and we will also provide residences for your men and also provide vehicles for them to move around and any other thing that they require and so I believe that we can achieve this in the next one to two months,” Otti assured.

Otti who attributed the relative peace in the state to the efforts of security agencies, emphasized that security is among the top priorities of his administration adding that the government would support them to perform optimally.

While noting that the visit came at the right time, especially with the Federal government’s approval for the setting up of an Airstrip in the state, the governor said the administration was committed to partnering with the FG to expand the airstrip to an airport.

Read Also: COAS to soldiers: we must win all land battles in defence of Nigeria

The governor disclosed that his government is not resting on its oars to apprehend the killers of the five soldiers at Obikabia, and announced that the bounty has been upgraded to 30 million naira.

He urged citizens and residents who have useful information to volunteer so as to apprehend the criminals.

Earlier, the Chief of Air Staff,  Air  Marshal Hasan Abubakar said that the essence of his visit is to engage in meaningful dialogue with the Governor and explore opportunities for collaboration between Nigerian Airforce and Abia State.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Taoreed Lagbaja on Thursday, May 9, said the Army will harness various technologies at its disposal towards enhancing the proficiency of its combat arms against criminal elements.

He stated this after watching the display of warfare technologies and firepower demonstration by the combat arms of the Nigerian Army at the end of its 2024 Combat Arms Training (CAT Week), held at the Infantry Corps Centre, Jaji Military Cantonment, Kaduna state.

Represented by the Chief of Training, Nigerian Army, Major General Sani Mohammed, the Chief of Staff said that enhanced proficiency in the Combat Arms will better position the Army towards tackling the various security challenges in Nigeria.

He said: “The CAT Week 2024 commenced on Tuesday with two central themes. One has to do with the welfare of the Combat Arms and the other was focused on the enhancement of training by an operation leveraging on the available technology.

“The various papers that were delivered by the various erudite resource persons generated a lot of discussions and a lot of inputs were made. All these inputs have been well articulated and well taken note of accordingly.

“This morning, we commenced the firepower demonstration and the display and ended it now. And from what we have seen, we are quite convinced that the objectives of this Combat Arms Training have been achieved.

“Therefore, we expect that the combat arms and all other supporting corps that are here will take note of all the take seats that have come out; those that require immediate action, it is expected that the implementation will commence accordingly.

“At the Army headquarters, we await the communique that will be released and when it comes, it is going to be looked at seriously and all areas that require the intervention of the Army Headquarters will be done accordingly.

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“It is quite impressive to see the various displays and a lot of innovations that have been made. Equally, the Chief of Army Staff has indicated his willingness towards supporting the various innovations that are going on and I think in the days ahead, a lot will be done harnessing various technology to enhance the proficiency of the combat arms,” he said.

The COAS commended the Commander Infantry Corps, Major General Olufemi Oluyede for the well-organized CAT Week hosted by the Infantry Corps Centre.

In his closing remarks, General Oluyede commended the senior officers, especially the retired generals for their presence, as well as the knowledge and experiences shared during the Training Week.

The highlight of the occasion was a firepower demonstration by the combat arms of the Nigerian Army, Cadets of the NDA Regular Course 71, as well as a display of combat technologies like unmanned shooting robots developed by the Nigerian Defence Academy.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Taoreed Lagbaja, has charged officers and soldiers in battle field against all criminal elements across Nigeria, to give their best to ensure that the nation is ridded of all forms of insecurity.

The Army Chief gave the charge while speaking on Tuesday, May 7, during the opening of the 2024 Combat Arms Training Week held at the Infantry Corps Centre, Jaji Military Cantonment, Kaduna State.

Lt. General Lagbaja however assured that, the troops under his leadership will continue to receive the highest benefits commensurate to the sacrifice they make daily in the defence of their fatherland Nigeria. 

He further directed that, all Nigerian Army personnel must remain professional, law abiding and loyal to the constitution of the federal Republic of Nigeria as they discharge their constitutional responsibilities.

“I must remind you all that success in battle lies in the successful conduct of training at all levels. As such, no ideas, thoughts or suggestions that could enhance the capabilities of the combat arms emanating from this event should be withheld or shoved off.

“I wish to further challenge the Combat Arms to leverage the skills and competencies inherent in the Combat Support and Combat Service Support Corps for enhancing doctrine and capabilities needed to defeat contemporary threats.

“The Nigerian Army under my leadership will continue to engage with all relevant stakeholders to ensure our troops receive the highest benefits commensurate to the sacrifice they make daily in the defence of our fatherland Nigeria. 

“I therefore use this opportunity to encourage all officers and men in the frontline in the various theatres as well as those serving in other capacities to continue to give their best to ensure the nation is ridded of all forms of insecurity.”

Speaking on the CAT Week, Lt. General Lagbaja said, the annual event presents a unique opportunity for interaction between the combat arms as well as other arms and services towards promoting efficiency during operations.

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“The event also provides commanders and staff officers the opportunity to chart ways towards sound planning for operations as well as effective leadership and command in combat. It further enables brainstorming among commanders and staff of the combat arms to evolve practicable solutions to addressing operational, administrative, and logistic concerns affecting operational efficiency in ongoing and future dynamic contemporary operations.

“It is pertinent to state that since assuming command as the Chief of Army Staff, I have looked forward to such an interaction where deliberate efforts will be made to harness the thoughts, ideas and approaches to tackling security threats that will emanate from the interaction amongst a wide array of participants. I therefore urge all participants not to relent in making novelle and ingenious inputs, as there is strength in our collective experiences if properly harnessed.

“I am aware that the combat arms remain at the core of all our operational activities in the conduct of operations across all theatres of operation. I am also not oblivious of the challenges of inadequate spares and assemblies, poor accommodation and other administrative issues that have negatively impacted the functionality of these arms. Thus, much of my focus will be directed towards addressing these challenges to achieve operational efficiency,” the COAS said.

He therefore assured that, the President Bola Tinubu and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces has reiterated his utmost concerns for enhancing the welfare of all Nigerian Army personnel.

Earlier, in his welcome address, the Commander Infantry Corps Commander, Major General Olufemi Oluyede said combatting the dynamic threats confronting Nigeria, has led to the vast deployment of Army personnel across the country, which has overstretched the manpower resources of the Nigerian Army, particularly infantry troops with attendant administrative consequences. 

“Some of the noteworthy administrative challenges experienced include obsolete equipment, inadequate manpower and insufficient welfare amongst others which have affected operational efficiency negatively. This has impacted on the moral component of the Nigerian Army fighting power and overall operational efficiency of the force.

“However, through the purposeful leadership of the COAS which seeks to reposition the NA to defeat contemporary and future threats, considerable efforts have been sustained and initiated with significant progress made in addressing these challenges,” he said.

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has urged personnel to always remember troops on the battlefield in their prayers. 

He also urged them to always pray for the leadership of the country as well as the Army.

The COAS said this when he hosted senior officers, Regimental Sergeant Majors and other senior Non-commissioned Officers to Ramadan Iftar (breaking of fast) on Thursday April 4.

A statement by the army spokesperson, Maj.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, on Friday April, 5, said the Army Chief also charged commanders at all levels to “vigorously pursue the Army’s transformational drive in order to effectively execute its constitutional responsibilities.”

The statement said: “The COAS noted that aside from providing opportunity for socializing with senior officers and senior Non Commissioned Officers, it equally afforded an insightful platform to directly listen to personnel pressing challenges and concerns.

Read Also: Kuje Correctional Centre was attacked when soldiers were being rotated, COAS confirms

“General Lagbaja appreciated the personnel for their prayers for the Nigerian Army, the Armed Forces and the nation in general. He urged them to imbibe and not forget the lessons of Ramadan.”

According to the statement, the COAS said the leadership of the Nigerian Army would diligently sustain its drive of transforming the Army into a well trained, equipped and highly motivated force “with the ultimate objective of eradicating contemporary security challenges bedeviling the nation, in jointness with sister services and security agencies.

“He disclosed that personnel must have been witnessing infrastructural developments within their living quarters and working environment, adding that those who are yet to benefit from the ongoing positive developments should be patient, as it would definitely get to them,” the statement said. 

• …says security concerns were raised just before attack

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, on Wednesday, March 20, confirmed the attack on the Kuje Correctional Custodial Centre in Abuja occurred as soldiers who were on duty were being rotated.

It will be recalled that terrorists broke into the facility on July 5, 2022, and freed hundreds of inmates, including Boko Haram members.

He said this during a one-day investigative hearing on two motions, “Decongestion of Correctional Centres in Nigeria” and “Call on the Nigerian Correctional Service to Account for Inmates that escaped from Kuje custodial facility.

The hearing was organised by the Joint House of Representatives Committees on Reformatory Institutions, Justice, Police Affairs, Interior, and Human Rights.

Lagbaja, who was represented by the Assistant Director, of Commercial Law, the Directorate of Nigerian Army Legal Services, Major Peter Ogbuinya said the situation did not call for trading blame but should be aimed at getting a possible solution and forestalling a similar occurrence.

“We the Nigerian Army are playing a complementary role to the correctional centre by virtue of the provision of guards to assist the correctional centre.

“However in the Correctional Centre, Kuje to be precise, Nigeria Army is not the only security agency that is deployed there. There are other sister agencies that were also deployed. Unfortunately, on the day the incident took place, there is what we call rotation among the troops, rotation of troops. Take for instance the end of every month, troops would be rotated. New soldiers would be brought in to replace the old ones.

“Unfortunately it was that day during the period of rotation that the incident actually took place. I wouldn’t want to comment on the possibility or otherwise of having an insider, looking at the period the incident took place,” he said.

He said soldiers who were deployed at the time were still being probed and if found to have been culpable in the incident would be appropriately punished.

“On our own side, the troops that we deployed are under investigation and the military hierarchy is still working on possibly finding out if there are any of the soldiers that had failed to do what they were expected to do and possibly disciplinary action was taken but as it is, it is still within the military hierarchy and military courts to look at the matter critically to know if the soldiers that were deployed had done the needful,” he said.

He said prior to that incident, the Nigeria Army through the Guards Brigade Commander, had written a series of letters to the Deputy Controller General concerning some of the security observations about the facility.

“We know that the Deputy Controller General is doing everything possible to see if most of this equipment that would enhance the security is provided. However, it was still in the process when the incident happened.

“One of those things was the issue of lightning. During the period, we noticed that there was no lightning within the general area. It’s not as if it was deliberate. Efforts were being made by the Deputy Controller to see if we could find solutions to some of these challenges.

“We also observed that the place where the Kuje Prison is located is more of a built-up area and that gives room for a serious security challenge where a lot of civilians are living in the prison environment.

“These are some of the challenges the environment created. We also observed issues of low fencing and CCTV absence within the general area. These are some of the things that we observed and these things were unable to be put in place before the incident. I want to believe that these things would have assisted the guards.

Read Also: Security challenges: COAS Lagbaja charges Commanding Officers to brace up training

The Controller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Haliru Nababa, who stressed the need for the decongestion of the correctional facilities, said Nigeria has a total inmate population of 78, 519 against a capacity of 64,192.

He was represented by the Deputy Controller General of Training and Staff Development, Tukur Mohammed Ahmad.

He said: “The decongestion of custodial centres has become the concern of all and sundry partly due to the unending challenges it causes to the criminal justice system in Nigeria. Efforts are put in place by the Federal Government to cut costs of feeding the inmates which often runs into billions of naira annually.

“The NCOS maintains 265 custodial centres across the country, with a capacity of 64, 192 against a total inmate population of 78, 519 as of March 18, 2024. Of this actual inmate population, 70 percent represents persons on awaiting trial.”

He said to achieve the speedy decongestion of the correctional centres in the country, there is a need for the completion of the 3000-capacity new custodial centres that are built across the six geopolitical zones.

He also said the Service needed more funding.

The Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, lauded the Committees for their joint efforts on the fact-finding mission to the root of the overcrowding nature of correctional centres in addition to the inmates that escaped from Kuje custodial facility, two years ago which left the nation in utter embarrassment.

He said the ultimate objective of the investigative hearing is to examine the activities of the correctional service to promote accountability, transparency and responsiveness in the running of the agency for enhanced service delivery, and contribute significantly to the overall progress and development of our country.

Chairman of the Committee on Reformatory Institutions, Comrade Chinedu Ogah, said the congestion of custodial facilities across the country is an affront to human rights and a major drawback of the criminal justice system with very dire consequences.

Ogah said incessant violations of correctional centres and inmates’ escape are extremely embarrassing and a security threat to the nation.

He expressed their resolve for a holistic overhauling of the system for effective and purposeful justice delivery and optimal performance of the Nigerian Correctional Service.

“I wish to assure you that the Committee with the strongest support of the Leadership of the House, led by Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas (PhD) is poised to engage all legislative tools at its disposal to ensure an effective and efficient criminal justice system second to none in the world,” he said.

The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, who was represented by Mrs Ayola Daniels said efforts have been ongoing towards decongestion of correctional centres nationwide.

He said the Ministry of Justice supported the efforts to decentralize the correctional service to allow states to establish and manage their own correctional centres.

This, he said, was achieved through the alteration of the constitution that moved the correctional service from exclusive to concurrent list.

He said this is expected to fast-track the decongestion of Correctional centres nationwide when properly implemented.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has affirmed the Nigerian Army’s commitment to intensifying training and retraining of its officers and soldiers.

Speaking at the Doctrine and Training Command (TRADOC) 2024 Conference in Minna, Lt. Gen. Lagbaja stressed the importance of enhancing professionalism and combat effectiveness.

He emphasized the urgency of equipping the army with the essential skills and knowledge required to address a variety of military operations.

The conference, held at the TRADOC Auditorium in Minna, served as a platform to enhance the application of Nigerian Army Doctrine 22, which acts as a catalyst for effective training and operations, Lagbaja said.

The Chief of Army Staff highlighted that these military engagements go beyond conventional warfare, encompassing missions such as peace support operations, counterinsurgency, terrorism, and anti-banditry operations.

Read Also: COAS: we’ve arrested errant soldier who contravened Lagos traffic rule

Representing the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Sani Gambo Mohammed, the Chief of Training at Nigerian Army Headquarters, emphasized that meticulous planning and execution are integral to the army’s success.

Stressing the importance of Doctrine 22, Mohammed stated, “These operations are in line with extant Doctrine 22, which is codified as proactive responsive doctrine and leverages the pillars of leadership, operational effectiveness, and administration towards addressing contemporary security challenges within a joint environment.”

The conference, themed “Enhancing Operational Effectiveness in a Joint Environment Through Tailor-Made Training,” aims to redirect and inspire action among officers and soldiers while guiding decision-making processes to lead the Nigerian Army to victory.

By focusing on training that is specific to their needs, the army hopes to bolster its readiness to combat the ever-evolving security threats facing the nation.

The Commander of TRADOC, Major General Kelvin Aligbe emphasized the significance of training, welfare, and morals in maintaining military readiness adding that as a dedicated training base for the Nigerian Army, TRADOC is committed to continually enhancing the knowledge and skills of officers and soldiers.

Aligbe affirmed that the command will continue to fulfill its mandate of training and retraining military personnel, enabling them to effectively carry out their duty in the face of adversity.