BY ABDULLAHI ISAH, MAIDUGURI
The outgoing theater commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Yusha`u Abubakar, has described officers and men of the theater as heroes of not only the Nigerian Army but of the country at large, as many of them have put their lives on the line in defense of the nation.
General Abubakar, who is now Chief of Training and Operation of the Nigerian Army disclosed this Monday during the handing, and taking, over ceremony and change of leaders at the theater of war.
“I am very delighted today, as I am leaving the leadership of the Operation Lafiya Dole a happy man because we have successfully done what is best for the military and the country at large, as we have degraded the capacity of the terrorists and Nigerians should appreciate hard work performed by the military and I am leaving the scene to a person who is already in the theater of war and is familiar with the terrain in the area of operation,” General Abubakar stated.
General Yusha`u who commended all officers and soldiers on the field said “I consider all of you as my heroes, as all of you have contributed to the feat we achieved in the war against insurgency within the theater. My redeployment to the Army headquarters is an indication of the confidence the military high command have in us and I urge you to extend the gesture to my successor.”
Also exchanging the mantle of leadership, the outgoing General Officer Commanding (GOC), the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Lamidi Adeosun urged officers and men of the Division to cooperate with his successor. Brigadier General Victor Ezugwu, who he described as a fine infantry officer that will continue the good work until the terrorists are completely wiped out.
General Adeosun who is now Commander, Multi- National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) with headquarters in Ndjamena said though he is leaving for another herculean task, the Operation Lafiya Dole is directly linked with his new area of assignment because both are aimed at defeating the terrorists in the sub-region.
In their separate remarks, the new theater commander, Major General Hassan Umaru and the new GOC Brigadier General Ezugwu solicited the cooperation of the officers and men, so that they will completely root out insurgents from the North-East and the country at large and assured the military high command that they will do their best to achieve this objective.
