The Acting Chief of Army Staff (Ag. COAS), Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, has embarked on a maiden operational tour to Sokoto State in the 8 Division Area of Responsibility.
LEADERSHIP recalls that Lt.-Gen. Oluyede was appointed as acting COAS by President Bola Tinubu about two weeks ago on Wednesday, October 30.
The new Army Chief’s operation tour comes on the heels of fresh security threats in Sokoto State with the emergence of a new terror group called ‘Lakurawa’.
A statement by the Army Spokesman, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, said the Acting COAS arrived Sokoto on Sunday morning and immediately proceeded to Forward Operations Base Tangaza and 248 Battalion in Illela, all in Sokoto State, where he received briefs on the security situation by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 8 Division, Brigadier General Ibikunle Ajose.
General Oluyede, while addressing troops deployed in Tangaza and Illela, commended them for their sacrifice and commitment in the ongoing fight against terrorism and insurgency in the North-West zone of the country.
He disclosed that he was on an operational tour to obtain first-hand information and assessment of the security situation and challenges of the troops.
The Army Chief assured the troops of his full support and encouragement to decisively deplete the activities of terrorists and insurgents in their respective areas of responsibility and the North-West zone in general.
He then charged the troops to shun any form of complacency that could jeopardise ongoing operations to overcome the security challenges bedevilling the region.
The Acting COAS, while interacting with the chairman of Tangaza local government area, Hon. Bashir Salihu, traditional heads and heads of security agencies at Illela, called for synergy and collaboration with the troops.
He called on the people to support the troops with credible information, adding that it was with their support that the troops would effectively protect them and secure the nation as a whole. “Nigerian Army is the people’s Army and Nigeria belongs to all of us, without support of the locals, Nigerian Army cannot succeed. We must collectively do all it takes to defend our country,” Lt.-Gen. Oluyede stated.
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