The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, has charged field commanders of the various army operations and troops to wipe out banditry, terrorism, kidnapping and other criminal groups disturbing the peace of the country.
Lagbaja also charged the commanders to bring the criminals to their knees, restore peace and stability in areas experiencing insecurity across the country in the shortest possible time.
The COAS, who gave the charge at the opening ceremony of the Chief of Army Staff’s first quarter conference held in Abuja, equally urged them to enhance their intelligence gathering and respect human rights while going about their duties, just as he urged the troops and commanders to remain committed to their constitutional mandates.
Speaking on the insecurity bedevilling the country, Lagabaja, said: “It is imperative to reiterate that our primary focus remains the preservation of our nation’s territorial integrity, safeguarding the lives and properties of loyal citizens, and upholding the principles of justice and equity.
“I charge field commanders across various theatres of operations, including our gallant troops, to remain committed to bringing the nation’s adversaries to their knees and restoring sanity in troubled areas across the country. We must continue to strengthen our operational capabilities, enhance intelligence gathering, foster inter-agency cooperation and prioritise the welfare of our personnel. Our commitment to professionalism, discipline, and respect for human rights must remain firm and obvious to all.”
The COAS, while calling on commanders to be innovative as the nation was in a more volatile, and complex period than ever before, said, “as leaders of our army, we must create that awareness across the force that the season we are in is more volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous than before. We must, therefore, continue to be adaptive, ingenious, innovative, and ready to take up more non-traditional military responsibilities if we must help our dear country survive the time we are in.”
He commended the troops whom he said, apart from securing the country, had been contributing to global peace.
“Only recently, on the approval of Mr President and Commander-in-Chief, the second company of the Nigerian contingent in the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei was inducted on April 5, 2024. This effort is geared towards upholding our commitment to maintaining global peace and security, particularly, within the African continent. Similarly, the Nigerian Army has extended its support to peacekeeping missions in The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau by deploying troops and allocating resources. This deployment underscores our steadfast commitment to providing capable peacekeepers as part of our contributions to global peace and security.”
The COAS, who also spoke on the issue of welfare, said he has directed the Managing Director of Post-Service Housing Development Limited to set aside five percent of the Affordable Home Ownership Option for All Soldiers Scheme in each estate for allocation to these wounded/disabled soldiers.
The COAS, who said the programme is aimed at alleviating the hardship soldiers face in securing personal accommodation for post-service life, said the army will cover all the housing expenses at 100 percent for the soldiers.
“As a way of making the scheme inclusive and showing our sensitivity to the plight of soldiers with operational-related disabilities, I have directed the Managing Director of Post-Service Housing Development Limited to set aside five percent of the AHOOAS Scheme in each estate for allocation to this category of soldiers. Additionally, the Nigerian Army will cover all the housing expenses at 100 percent for the soldiers”.
