Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, the immediate past Chief of Army Staff, said on Friday that the Boko Haram insurgency was at its peak when he took office in 2021, but he is leaving it better than he found it.
Yahaya was named army chief by former President Muhammadu Buhari on May 27, 2021, following the unfortunate death of Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru in an aviation crash on May 21, along with ten other officers and men of the army.
He was the Theatre Commander of campaign Hadin Kai, the counter-insurgency campaign in the Northeast, before being appointed army commander.
Yahaya, who led the Nigerian army for two years, stated at the transfer ceremony at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja that he is leaving the military better than he found it.
He urged the army to maintain its current victories against numerous security challenges, including as terrorists, bandits, and crude oil thieves.
The outgoing COAS urged them not to be sidetracked by unpatriotic elements, but to remain apolitical and professional at all times.
Major General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja, the new Chief of Army Staff, remarked in his speech that his predecessor oversaw unparalleled cautious resource management and military hardware procurement.
He promised to build on his predecessor’s legacy, encouraging those who are leaving the army not to refuse the Nigerian Army the opportunity to draw on their experiences whenever the need arises.
The new COAS committed to lead an army based on discipline and professionalism.
Senior military leaders and heads of numerous army departments are in attendance.
Lagbaja is the Army’s 23rd Chief of Staff.
